Colombia's Brenda Olaya and Team Set for 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku

Brenda Olaya will compete in the -78 kg category at the 2026 World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, scheduled from October 4 to 11, 2026, according to reporting by El Espectador. The international tournament brings together 627 athletes from 93 countries across six continents to contest 14 individual world titles and mixed team events.

Olaya earned her spot on the national team alongside Francisco Balanta in the -100 kg division and María Villalba in the -57 kg category. Together, the trio represents Colombia at the global showcase hosted in the Azerbaijani capital, where preliminary draws and elimination brackets will determine the world champions across seven men’s and seven women’s weight classes.

Colombian Athletes Compete in Baku Weight Divisions

Competition at the 2026 World Judo Championships runs for a full week, featuring individual weight divisions followed by mixed team matches on the final day. María Villalba opens the nation’s schedule on Tuesday, October 6, competing in the -57 kg elimination rounds alongside the men’s -73 kg category. Brenda Olaya and Francisco Balanta take to the tatami later in the week on Friday, October 9, contesting their respective -78 kg and -100 kg brackets. All individual weight classes operate under a direct elimination format with a repechage system for athletes who reach the quarterfinals.

Olympic Champions Lead Large International Entry List

While the Colombian contingent targets podium finishes, the broader 643-athlete entry list reported by Olympics.com features five reigning Olympic champions wearing the sport’s coveted golden backpatch. Host nation Azerbaijan fields a 24-athlete team led by Hidayat Heydarov in the -73 kg class and Zelym Kotsoiev in the -100 kg division. Georgia arrives with a formidable squad featuring two-time Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri in the -90 kg category and triple Olympic medalist Lasha Shavdatuashvili at -73 kg, alongside reigning mixed team world champion Eteri Liparteliani in the women’s -57 kg division.

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Additional international heavyweights scheduled to compete in Baku include French judo legend Clarisse Agbegnenou in the -63 kg category, Japanese sibling sensations Abe Hifumi (-66 kg) and Abe Uta (-52 kg), and reigning Olympic heavyweight champion Beatriz Souza of Brazil in the +78 kg division. These established global contenders face deep brackets that also feature rising competitors such as Spanish European bronze medalist Laura Martínez Abelenda at -48 kg and world-ranked contender David García Torné.

Following in the Footsteps of Yuri Alvear

Brenda Olaya arrives in Baku carrying the distinction of being Colombia’s sole youth world champion in the discipline. In 2024, Olaya captured the -78 kg youth world title in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by defeating Germany’s Mathilda Niemeyer in the final. At the senior level, Colombian judo history remains anchored by Yuri Alvear, a three-time world champion and Olympic medalist at London 2012 and Rio 2016 who claimed senior gold in the -70 kg division at Rotterdam 2009, Rio de Janeiro 2013, and Chelyabinsk 2014.