Great Britain to Host 2011 IBSA Judo European Championships

23 Nov 2010 By IPC

The British Judo Association is delighted to announce that, for the first time ever, the 2011 International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Judo European Championships will be held in Great Britain.

The event, which is supported by UK Sport, will be the most prestigious visually impaired event hosted by the British Judo Association.

Esther Nicholls, Event Consultant for UK Sport, said: “UK Sport is committed to bringing world class sporting events to the UK ahead of 2012, in what we believe is the most comprehensive pre-Games events programme ever staged by an Olympic and Paralympic host nation.

"The IBSA European Judo Championships will provide an invaluable opportunity for British players to experience international competition on home soil just before the 2012 Paralympic Games. The event also provides us with the opportunity to hone the skills of key officials and to train volunteers, which is vital for building capacity within the sport to host events in the future.”

The event will take place from 15-19 June 2011 at K2 Crawley, just 15 months out from the London 2012 Paralympic Games and is expected to attract judoka from all over Europe.

After being approached by IBSA for the opportunity to bid to host the Championships, Great Britain was picked as the host nation, beating a strong rival bid from France. The IBSA committee cited Britain’s ability to host such an event and the strong link to London 2012 will undoubtedly appeal to Europe’s finest judoka.

British Judo Events Manager, Emma Taylor said, “This event will be new for us. We have never run such a prestigious VI event before and we are excited to be involved and showcase the top VI judoka ahead of 2012.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for the BJA Events Team to host a new event for 2011 and we are currently at the early stages of marketing the event to the judo nations.”

In 2009, the British Team picked up its best results at the Europeans ever, winning four medals. The British squad will be out in force again, this time on home soil, vying for medals in their respective weight categories.