Austrian judo club Borchashvili Askö Combat Center secured the late signatures of international competitors Irakli Demetrashvili and Daniel Eich ahead of the decisive Austrian Judo Bundesliga weekend. The newly promoted Wels club sits second in the standings and has already qualified for the four-team final tournament scheduled for Nov. 21 in Gmunden.
International Signings Join Wels for Bundesliga Finish
Demetrashvili arrives in Austria following a bronze-medal finish in the mixed team event at the world championships in Baku, where he recorded three wins against one loss, alongside a home grand slam victory in Tbilisi. Eich enters the lineup as a Swiss half-heavyweight competitor who placed third at the grand slam tournament in Hungary.
The formal inclusion of both athletes depends on a strict competition requirement. To be eligible for the upcoming championship finals in Gmunden, the newly signed duo must step onto the tatami this coming Saturday during the final regular-season fixture in Niederwaldkirchen against UJZ Mühlviertel.
Playoff Implications in Niederwaldkirchen
Saturday’s clash carries heavy consequences for the home side. A victory for UJZ Mühlviertel would allow the club to capture the fourth and final playoff spot for the Gmunden final four just before the regular season closes. The match gets underway at 6:00 p.m. local time.
Current standings place Sportzentrum Galaxy Tigers at the summit with 18 points and 69 to 15 in individual match victories after six of seven rounds. Combat Center follows in second with 13 points (47:37), ahead of Leistungszentrum Multikraft Wels in third with 12 points (48:36) and JC Sanjindo Bischofshofen in fourth with 12 points (39:45). UJZ Mühlviertel sits fifth with nine points (40:44), followed by JBLV Samurai-Stadlau with five points (31:53), JU Burgkirchen-Schwand with three points (37:47), and JU Raika Pinzgau at the bottom without a point (25:59).
Tie-Breaking Rules for the Final Standings
Rankings outside the top four remain largely settled, but league regulations provide a clear hierarchy should teams finish level on points. Under point 8.3.4 of the competition guidelines, ties are broken first by the number of won league encounters, followed by individual match point differences, the sum of technical sub-scores, head-to-head records down to sub-score differences, and finally the lower count of penalties, or shidos.
Saturday Match Schedule
All four final round-robin fixtures are scheduled to begin simultaneously on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. local time:
JU Burgkirchen-Schwand meets Sportzentrum Galaxy Tigers, JBLV Samurai-Stadlau faces JU Raika Pinzgau, Leistungszentrum Multikraft Wels takes on JC Sanjindo Bischofshofen, and UJZ Mühlviertel hosts Borchashvili Askö Combat Center.
Worth a look
