Also affected by the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, judo is gradually recovering. Since Tuesday, the licensees can return to the dojos, but without being able to touch. Regarding the high level, things are also becoming clearer. Invited Sunday of Europe 1 sport, Jean Luc Rougé, the president of the French Judo Federation, gave us some calendar elements. Also secretary general of the International Judo Federation, he took the opportunity to announce a change, and not the least, in the future organization of competitions: the establishment of world championships every year.
"The international recovery should be on September 1. The first French championship should take place in early October in Brest, before the start of the major championships (with the Japanese tournament) in November," said Jean Luc Rougé. "From that moment on, it would start again with a strong Olympic selection system," he continues.
"We should have world championships this year
Above all, "we should have world championships this year. The year 2021 risks being a year with world championship AND Olympic Games, it will be a first," reveals the man who was the first French world champion, in 1975 "We are rethinking everything. Before, we had world championships alternating with the Olympic Games, so there were three (every four years), we risk doing four now," said he at the microphone of Europe 1.
It remains to arbitrate the dates. There could be meetings in May, just before the Olympics, and just after. "We are thinking about that," concludes Jean Luc Rougé.