The IJF World Tour tournament in Tel Aviv is an international judo competition held since 2019 at the Drive in Arena in Tel Aviv, as part of the International Judo Federation Grand Slam series. Being held as a Grand Prix for the inaugural two years, the tournament was elevated to a Grand Slam in 2021. [1]
Sagi Aharon Muki is an Israeli Olympic and former world champion half-middleweight judoka. Muki is the 2019 World Champion. He also won the 2015 and 2018 European championships. In the mixed team event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Muki was a member of the Israeli team that won the bronze medal.
Or "Ori" Sasson is a retired Israeli Olympic judoka. He won a bronze medal in the +100 kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics and another one at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the second of three Israelis to win two Olympic medals.
Shira Rishony is an Israeli Olympic lightweight judoka. She competes at U48 kg. She competed for Israel at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics she won a bronze medal in the mixed team event, and placed 5th in the women's 48 kg event. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship. Rishony represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo; in the women's 48 kg she came in 17th, and in the mixed team event Team Israel came in ninth.
Gili Cohen is an Israeli retired Olympic judoka. In 2013, she won the silver medal at the European U23 Championships, and she was a bronze medalist at the 2014 European Judo Championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Daria Hennadiyivna Bilodid is a Ukrainian judoka. She is a two-time world champion, a three-time European champion and won a bronze medal in the women's 48 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Bilodid is also a junior world champion (2018) and a junior European champion (2016).
Tal Flicker is an Israeli judoka. He competes in the under 66 kg weight category, and won bronze medals in the 2017 World Judo Championships and the 2018 European Judo Championships as well as a silver medal in the 2020 European Judo Championships. Flicker won the 2017 Baku Grand Slam, 2017 Cancún Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. In August 2017 he was ranked # 1 in the world in the U66 kg division.
Baruch Shmailov is an Israeli Olympic judoka. He competes in the under 66 kg weight category, and won a gold medal in the 2022 World Masters in Jerusalem. Shmailov also won a bronze in the 2017 World Masters, as well as a silver at the 2018 World Masters.
Tohar Butbul is an Israeli Olympic judoka. He competes in the under 73 kg weight category, where he won silver medals at the 2019 Judo World Masters and the 2021 European Championships, and won bronze medals in the 2017 Paris Grand Slam and 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. As of March 2018 he was ranked #9 in the world in the U73 kg division. He was a member of the Israeli team that won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Butbul represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo in the men's 73 kg event in which he came in ninth, and in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.
Timna Nelson-Levy is an Israeli Olympic judoka. She competes in the under 57 kg weight category and represented Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the mixed team event. In European Championships, she won a gold medal in 2022 and bronze in 2016 and 2024. Nelson-Levy represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo in the women's 57 kg, coming in ninth, and in the mixed team event, at when Team Israel came in ninth.
Gefen Primo is an Israeli judoka. She competes in the under 52 kg weight category. In 2017 she was the European Youth Olympic Champion. She won bronze medals in the 2018 European Judo Championships, 2021 World Judo Championships, 2021 European Judo Championships, and 2022 World Judo Championships. Primo represented Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics in judo in the women's 52 kg, in which she came in seventh, and in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.
Peter Paltchik is a Ukrainian-born Israeli former European champion and Olympic judoka, competing in the under 100 kg weight category, of which he is the current number 1 ranked Judoka in the world. Paltchik won the bronze medal at the 2018 European Judo Championships in Tel Aviv. In 2019 he won the Israeli championship in the 100+ Kg category. He then won the gold medal at the 2020 European Judo Championships in Prague. Paltchik also won a bronze medal in the mixed team judo competition in the 2021 Olympics. At the 2023 World Judo Championships he won a bronze medal. Paltchik represented Israel at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in judo in the men's 100 kg event and in the mixed team event, and was the flag bearer for his country, alongside the swimmer Andrea Murez.
Chelsie Giles is a British judoka. She won the gold medal in the women's 52 kg event at the 2022 European Judo Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria. She won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Giles' medal was the first awarded to Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The 2021 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv was held at the Drive in Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel from 18 to 20 February 2021.
Inbar Lanir is an Israeli Olympic silver medalist judoka and 2023 world champion. She competes in the under 78 kg weight category. She also won a mixed-team bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games. In addition to winning the 2023 world championship, she won gold medals at the 2023 World Masters and the 2023 Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam. Lanir competed for Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and won the silver medal in the women's 78 kg, while she also represented Israel in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.
Inbal Shemesh is an Israeli judoka.
Raz Hershko is an Israeli Olympic silver medalist and European champion judoka. She was the 2015 European U18 Champion, the 2017 European U23 championships silver medalist, and won a bronze medal in the 2023 world championships. She competed for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in mixed team. She is the 2024 European Champion. Representing Israel at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hershko won the silver medal in judo in the women's +78 kg, and also competed in the mixed team event, in which Team Israel came in ninth.
Artem Lesiuk is a Ukrainian judoka.
Alice Bellandi is an Italian judoka. In 2021, she competed in the women's 70 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. In the 2024 Summer Olympics, now on the women's 78 kg category, she won the gold medal.
Bogdan Iadov is a Ukrainian judoka.
The 2023 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv is a Judo Grand Slam tournament that was held at the Drive in Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel, from 16 to 18 February 2023 as part of the IJF World Tour and during the 2024 Summer Olympics qualification period.
