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Laman Ismayilova

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Azerbaijan will be represented by 14 judokas across nine weight categories at the Lausanne Judo Grand Slam 2026, Switzerland, from August 28 to 30.

The competition will award qualification points for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

The Azerbaijani team consists of 10 men and four women. A total of 518 judokas from 78 countries, including 309 men and 209 women, will compete in the three-day tournament.

In the women's events, Gultaj Mammadaliyeva and Leyla Aliyeva will compete in the 52kg category, Sudaba Agayeva in the 70kg category and Madina Kaisinova in the +78kg category.

Among the men, Ahmad Yusifov will compete in the 60kg category, while Turan Bayramov and Ruslan Pashayev will compete in the 66kg division. Kamran Suleymanov and Rashid Mammadaliyev will contest the 73kg category, with Omar Rajabli and Vusal Galandarzade competing at 81kg.

Vugar Talibov will represent Azerbaijan in the 90kg category, while Kenan Nasibov and Ushangi Kokauri will compete in the +100kg division.

The tournament is part of the World Judo Tour. Nazim Umbayev, a member of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation's Refereeing Committee and an international referee with an A-category licence, will also serve among the officials.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijan Judo Federation actively promotes this martial art worldwide.

The President of the Azerbaijan Judo Federation is Rashad Nabiyev, who also serves as the Minister of Digital Development and Transportation.

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 Hidayat Heydarov, Zelym Kotsoiev, Zelim Tckaev, Balabay Aghayev, Ushangi Kokauri, Gultaj Mammadaliyeva, Leyla Aliyeva, Fidan Alizade, Aisha Gurbanli, etc.