DOHA (Qatar): World’s top 36 judokas will be seen in action at the 2021 Qatar Masters in Doha from January 11-13, the International Judo Federation said on Friday.
The final World Ranking List (WRL) for the nomination of athletes was published after the African Continental Championships which ended on December 20.
“I hope all judokas concerned will benefit from appropriate conditions for preparation of this important competition. I look forward to seeing some high-level judo in Doha. I wish all of you lots of health and resilience during this difficult time,” IJF President Marius Vizer was quoted as saying on its website.
“Should the global health situation deteriorate in unexpected ways by the time of the competition, the IJF reserves the right to postpone the event accordingly,” he added.
The IJF Executive Committee decided on November 11, to suspend the World Judo Tour 2020.
After a successful return to competitions with the Hungary Grand Slam 2020 at the end of October, the IJF hoped that at least another World Judo Tour Event could be organized before the end of the year, namely the Zagreb Grand Prix 2020, in Croatia, but the event could not take place.
IJF will now focus on the opening event of 2021, namely the Qatar Masters where the best ranked athletes are invited to participate.
“The IJF Team will now focus on organizing the Qatar Masters in January and we hope that we will be able to bring together the international judo community in Doha, to mark a fresh start of judo in 2021, with the best athletes of the world competing for Olympic qualification,” said Vizer.
