Japan’s largest judo competition, “Grand Slam Tokyo” (sponsored by the International Judo Federation: IJF), will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium from December 3 (Sat) to 4 (Sun), 2022. It will be held in Tokyo for the first time in five years, and pre-sales of tickets will begin on Saturday, October 8th.
A grand slam that creates drama
The Grand Slam is one of the competitions that make up the IJF World Judo Tour, and is positioned as an international competition after the World Championships and the World Masters. There are nine 2022 editions, which have been held so far in Paris (France), Tel Aviv (Israel), Antalya (Turkey), Tbilisi (Georgia), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) and Hungary. This month we will be in Abu Dhabi (UAE) from October 21st to 23rd, followed by Baku (Azerbaijan) from November 4th to 6th, and finally Tokyo in December.
It will be the first time in three years since Osaka in 2019 that the Grand Slam will be held in Japan. At that time, Hifumi Abe defeated his rival, Joshiro Maruyama, to win the men’s 66kg class after a fierce battle that lasted seven and a half minutes (Photo: IJF). In the women’s category, Teru Sone won the 78kg class, and a drama was born, such as becoming the first unofficial job offer for the Tokyo Olympics in judo. Both have won gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
Currently, the world championships are being held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and 23 athletes from Japan, including Hifumi Abe and his brother Shishi, are participating. Earning points for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics has already started in June this year, and will be available until June 2024. Including grand slam Tokyo, participation in the next Olympics is predicted.
Yasuhiro Yamashita, president of the All Japan Judo Federation (Zenjuren), called on many people to watch the athletes’ efforts to make it to the Paris Olympics at venues and on TV.
Grand Slam Tokyo concept also debuts
Along with this, Zenjuren also announced the concept logo of Grand Slam Tokyo. Based on the concept of “Take a step forward. The next Judo of Japan”, we will try to make it enjoyable not only for judoka and judo fans, but also for people watching judo for the first time.
“In formulating the concept, we expressed the image of moving forward with the ‘stepping’, which is very important in judo movements,” says Yasuo Inoue, chairman of the Special Committee for Promotion of Branding Strategy of Zenjuren. .
“We will take on the challenge of planning a step forward in various directions so that it will be an event that will be loved by judo practitioners and fans, and that people who see it for the first time will also enjoy it.” (Mr. Inoue)
Zenjuren conducted a web survey in December 2021 and collected over 17,000 responses. It was found that elements such as “explanation of rules in an easy-to-understand manner”, “enjoyment for the whole family”, “interacting with the players”, and “feeling excitement” are required.
In the future, we will promote various measures such as disseminating the appeal of judo using the latest technology, developing contents that explain the rules that are easy to understand even for those who have never experienced judo, and providing services at tournament venues that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Details of each measure will be announced in due course.
Exclusive advance sales by Lawson Ticket are available until October 16 (Sun). For more details, please visit “Law ticket”.
