The Sarajevo World Judo Championships Kata 2026 will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on September 26-27. Azerbaijan will be represented by four judoka at the championships. The country's competitors qualified after winning the national championships among cadets and juniors.
In the cadet category, Sadiq Abdullayev will compete as tori, with Rajab Akbarov as uke in the Nage-no-kata programme. Among the juniors, Famil Asadov will take the role of tori, while Yusif Ahmadov will compete as uke. The championships will feature 462 judoka from 35 countries across five continents.
Note that the Azerbaijani judokas have established a strong presence in international competition, regularly challenging for medals at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships, and other major events. Their results over the years have strengthened Azerbaijan's position in world judo, with the country's athletes earning recognition for their technical skills, discipline, determination and competitive character. The Azerbaijan Judo Federation has played an important role in the growth of the sport.
Founded in 1972, the federation is responsible for developing and promoting judo in the country and representing Azerbaijani judokas at international level. The federation is currently led by Rashad Nabiyev, who also serves as Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transportation. Azerbaijan's rise as a competitive judo nation gained momentum in the late 1990s.
Mehman Azizov won silver at the 1998 World Championships, while Rasul Salimov, the 1998 World Youth Games champion in Moscow, added a European bronze medal in Slovakia in 1999. In 2000, Elchin Ismayilov became European champion in Wroclaw. A significant milestone followed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where Elnur Mammadli captured the men's 73kg gold medal.
A new generation has continued that success in recent years. Among the leading names are Hidayat Heydarov, Zelym Kotsoiev, Zelim Tckaev, Balabay Aghayev, Ushangi Kokauri, Gultaj Mammadaliyeva, Leyla Aliyeva, Fidan Alizade and Aisha Gurbanli, who have added further achievements to Azerbaijan's international judo record. Here we are to serve you with news right now.
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