Antonius Johannes Geesink was a Dutch 10th dan judoka. He was the first non-Japanese judoka to win gold at the World Judo Championships, a feat he accomplished in 1961 and 1965. He was also an Olympic Champion, having won gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Japan, and won a record 21 European Judo Championships during his career.
The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year by the International Judo Federation, and qualified judoka compete in their respective categories as representatives of their home countries. Team competitions have also been held since 1994. The men's championships began in 1956, though the format and periodicity of the championships have changed over time. The last edition of the championships took place in Doha, Qatar in 2023.
Johannes Cornelius Bluming was a Dutch martial artist, instructor and actor. Known as a pioneer in variety of martial arts, Bluming held 9th dan in Judo, 10th dan in Kyokushinkai Karate and 10th dan in Hapkido. He was also the coach of two-time Olympic champion Willem Ruska.
Jan Snijders is a retired judoka from the Netherlands. Together with his twin brother Peter Snijders, Anton Geesink, Hein Essink, Tonni Wagenaar, Coos Bontje, Jan van Ierland, Martin Poglajen, Joop Gouweleeuw, Wim Ruska, Ernst Eugster, Henk Numan, Peter Adelaar, Willy Wilhelm, Anthony Wurth and Theo Meyer he belongs to the generation of Dutch top judoka which gained their successes in the 1960s and 1970s.
Isao Inokuma was a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a world title in 1965.
Shokichi Natsui was a Japanese judoka from the Akita Prefecture. He became the first world champion in judo, winning the title at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, by beating Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final. As there were no weight classes in the world championships until 1965, Natsui was the only champion in 1956.
Koji Sone was a Japanese judoka and world champion.
Henri Courtine was a French judoka.
Peter Snijders is a retired judoka from the Netherlands. Together with his twin brother Jan Snijders, Anton Geesink, Hein Essink, Tonni Wagenaar, Coos Bontje, Jan van Ierland, Martin Poglajen, Joop Gouweleeuw, Wim Ruska, Ernst Eugster, Henk Numan, Peter Adelaar, Willy Wilhelm, Ben Spijkers, Anthony Wurth and Theo Meyer he belongs to the generation of Dutch top judoka which gained their successes in the 1960s and 1970s. Peter also was a former association coach of the Dutch judo association.
Alice Schlesinger is an Israeli-British retired judoka and sambo competitor. Born in Israel, she competed for that country until 2014, but following a dispute with the national federation she has started competing for Great Britain, of whom she is a citizen through her English-born mother.
The 1962 European Judo Championships were the 11th edition of the European Judo Championships, and were held in Essen, West Germany on 12 and 13 May 1962. The Championships were held in two separate categories: amateur and professional. The amateur contests were subdivided into weight classes, experience classes, and a separate team competition. The professional contests were subdivided only into weight classes. It was the first edition of the European Judo Championships to host judokas from the Socialist countries, though they did not participate in the professional contests as professional sports were banned in those countries. Contrary to the modern Olympic-based practice of entering one athlete per weight class, more than one representative of a single national team was allowed to qualify for participation in each event. The professional category was established for those teaching judo, and hence not considered amateurs in the Olympics' category. This later precluded Anton Geesink from participating in the amateur weight classes at the judo event of the 1964 Olympics.
Varlam Liparteliani is a Georgian judoka. He has won silver at Olympic and World level.
Yarden Gerbi is an Israeli former judoka world champion. She won an Olympic bronze medal competing for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Women's 63 kg Judo.
The Mixed Team tournament in Judo at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics was held on August 21 at the Longjiang Gymnasium.
Raz Hershko is an Israeli judoka. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The World Judo Juniors Championships are the highest level of international judo competition for juniors, 21 years of age or less. The championships are held once every year by the International Judo Federation, and qualified judoka compete in their respective categories as representatives of their home countries. The World Junior Championships are the only junior event awarding ranking points for the seniors world ranking list. The last edition of the championships took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2022.
The African Judo Union (AJU) is the governing body of judo in Africa. It is one of the five continental confederations making up the International Judo Federation (IJF). AJU was formed on 28 November 1961 in Dakar (Senegal). AJU has headquarters in Madagascar and consists of 54 member federations.
The Judo Grand Slam tournaments are international judo tournaments held by the International Judo Federation as part of the IJF World Tour.
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