Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani judokas are getting ready for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The team is taking part in an international training camp in Croatia.

Along with the Azerbaijani national team, more than 500 athletes from 37 countries, including Italy, France, Russia, Georgia, the UK, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany, etc. participate in the training camp.

The judo competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from July 24 to 31.

Meanwhile, the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will be held from July 23 to August 8 this year.

Formerly scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9 2020, the event was postponed amid coronavirus pandemic.

Despite being rescheduled for 2021, the event retains the Tokyo 2020. This is the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed and rescheduled, rather than cancelled.

The 2020 Games will mark the second time that Japan has hosted the Summer Olympic Games, the first being also in Tokyo in 1964, making this the first city in Asia to host the Summer Games twice.

The 2020 Games will feature competitions including 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, and madison cycling, as well as further mixed events.

Under new IOC policies, which allow the host organizing committee to add new sports to the Olympic program to augment the permanent core events, these Games will see karate, sport climbing, surfing, and skateboarding make their Olympic debuts, as well as the return of baseball and softball for the first time since 2008.

Wrestling remains the most popular sport in the county and is overseen by the National Wrestling Federation, which was established in 1993.

The Rio Games opened a new page in wrestling for Azerbaijan. The country became one of only two nations ever to increase the number of medals achieved in five consecutive Games.

In 2020, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers finished third in the overall medal table of the Individual World Cup in Serbia.

National wrestlers won two medals, including silver and bronze. Russia topped the medal table followed by Turkey.

The national team also won five medals at Grand Prix Moscow held in Russia.

National wrestlers Shamil Zubairov (97 kg) left no chances to all his rivals, Islam Bazarganov (57 kg) and Davud Ibrahimov (65 kg) won silver medals. Gitinomahammad Hajiyev (74 kg) and Osman Nurmahammadov (86 kg) finished third in the Grand Prix. Thus, the national team won one gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the tournament.

Moreover, Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation (AWF) held a webinar for international and national judges.

The virtual meeting covered decisions to be made in freestyle wrestling, attack and counter-attack in Greco-Roman wrestling and other disciplines.

The judges also discussed some wrestling techniques and tricks used at last tournaments.

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