No, Norbert Specker is not proud of that. “In terms of entry fees, the Bremen Judo Masters is by far the most expensive tournament in Europe,” says the founder and director of the event, which was first held in 1986. To Specker’s regret, the participants have to pay a third more than last year. The Masters will take place next Saturday with the U18 fighters and on Sunday with the U21 fighters from 9 a.m. in Hall 7 on the Bürgerweide – for the 38th time.
This time too, athletes from around 25 nations will be there, including national teams from Japan and Brazil and, for the first time in a long time, a representative from Georgia. The Bremen tournament enjoys a good reputation worldwide – not least due to Norbert Specker’s long-standing contacts. The national associations value the Masters as a welcome opportunity to send their fighters into top-class competition early in the season. In addition, the majority of the active participants use their stay in Bremen for a subsequent training camp. “We have around 500 registrations for Monday to Wednesday,” says Norbert Specker. This Wednesday he welcomed the first delegations from overseas. And the Japanese, for example, completed their first training session on site.
With Jan Alexander Ahrens (from JC Villa Vital), Craig Leon Esso and Artur Artemenko (both from JC Asahi), there are at least three U18 fighters from Bremen among the approximately 750 registrations. They probably have little chance of winning against the strong competition, but they will gain valuable experience in their young career – a very expensive experience given the entry fee of 80 euros per person. Norbert Specker had to increase the fee by 20 euros because he now has to forego some subsidies, but the event still causes immense costs. “We are scratching a six-figure number,” says the 59-year-old. He has to raise around 100,000 euros for the 38th edition of the Bremen Judo Masters, which Sports Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) will open as patron on Saturday.
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2024-03-20 12:01:03
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