Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

Read more

A new judo hall has officially opened at the Ganja Sports Palace, Azernews reports.

The opening ceremony was attended by Rashad Rasulov, Executive Vice President of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation (AJF); Natig Bagirov, Advisor to the AJF President; Olympic medalist and member of the AJF Executive Committee, Movlud Miraliyev; world champion and AJF Executive Committee member Elkhan Mammadov, along with other officials.

Equipped with tatami mats that meet modern standards, the hall covers a total area of 483 square meters. It also features dedicated coaches' rooms and changing facilities. The venue will provide training opportunities for more than 300 judo athletes.

Between 2022 and 2025, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation opened new judo halls in Ganja, Sumgayit, Gusar, Aghstafa, Zagatala, Goranboy, Sabirabad, Baku's Zira settlement, Aghdash, Kurdamir, Astara, Jalilabad, Tartar, Gakh, Imishli, Shabran, and Zagatala's Mosul village.

A total of 13,200 tatami mats have been distributed to 179 sports halls across Baku and the country's regions.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art worldwide. Since 2015, the Federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

A year later, the winner of the World Youth Games in Moscow, Rasul Salimov, grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championship in Slovakia. Another national judoka, Elchin Ismayilov, became the European champion in 2000 in Wroclaw.

However, the achievements of Azerbaijani judo fighters did not stop there. Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, İrina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.