The 2026 World Judo Championships reached their fifth day of competition at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, hosting bouts in the women’s -70 kg and men’s -90 kg divisions as athletes chase crucial ranking points for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, OA Sport reported. Competition gets underway with morning eliminatories before evening medal blocks.
Who are the Italian judoka competing in Baku today?
Italy’s delegation features three athletes on the mat for the fifth day of the individual tournament, as reported by OA Sport. In the women’s -70 kg division, Giorgia Stangherlin enters the bracket as the eighth seed, avoiding top-tier opponents in the early rounds up to a potential quarterfinal against the world’s top-ranked judoka, Croatia’s Lara Cvjetko, or Spain’s Ai Tsunoda Roustant. Her compatriot Irene Pedrotti starts her campaign against Britain’s Kelly Petersen Pollard, with a potential path through Madina Taimazova or Maria Pina awaiting before the quarterfinals. On the men’s side, Kenny Komi Bedel faces a difficult second-round test in the -90 kg category against high-ranking Brazilian competitor Guilherme Schimidt.
Where can viewers watch the 2026 World Judo Championships broadcast?
Live television and streaming coverage is split across multiple platforms for international and Italian audiences. According to OA Sport, all preliminary matches and eliminatories stream live on the dedicated platform Judo TV, starting from the morning sessions at 08:30 local venue time. The evening medal matches, known as the Final Block, air live on television through Sky Sport Max on channel 206, and on RaiSport HD beginning at 16:50. Digital viewers can access the Final Block via streaming on RaiPlay, Sky Go, and NOW. OA Sport provides a full live text commentary with real-time updates throughout the day's events.
What is the broader entry list for the Italian national team?
The Italian federation arrived in the Azerbaijani capital with the maximum allowable quota of 18 judoka across the individual divisions, split evenly with nine men and nine women. The broader squad features prominent team leaders such as Assunta Scutto, Odette Giuffrida, Veronica Toniolo, Asya Tavano, and Gennaro Pirelli.
What is the full tournament schedule and format?
The championships run eight consecutive days from Sunday, October 4 to Sunday, October 11, at the National Gymnastics Arena, featuring both individual weight classes and the mixed team event across 14 total categories, as outlined. Following Thursday’s -70 kg and -90 kg brackets, Friday features the women’s -78 kg and men’s -100 kg classes, Saturday hosts the heavyweight +78 kg and +100 kg tournaments, and Sunday concludes the competition with the team event eliminatories at 07:30 and the final block at 16:00.
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