Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The members of the UAE Judo team on Friday will arrive in the Qatari capital, Doha, from Romania after completing their training camp, to participate in the Doha Masters 2021 that will start on Friday.

The tournament, held in the Lusail Multipurpose Hall, is the first tournament organised by the International Judo Federation in 2021. It will witness the participation of 400 competitors from 69 countries, including six Arab teams from the UAE, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Qatar.

During a phone call, Mohamed bin Thaaloob Al Derai, President of UAE Wrestling, Judo and Kickboxing Federation, checked on the Emirati team after their camp in Romania and assessed the readiness of the duo, Victor, who will participate in the 73-kilogramme weight class, and Evan, who will participate in the 100-kilogramme class.

Derai stressed that the tournament is part of the international federation’s agenda and will involve the top 16 players in the world in every weight division, noting that it is part of the qualification tournaments for the Tokyo Olympics.

This event will take place in a distinct context due the global pandemic of Covid-19 virus the world is facing.

After the season opener in Doha, the Judo Grand Slam event will take place from Feb.18-20, 1000 points will be on offer for the winner of each category.