The Chisinau Arena is hosting Moldova’s Judo Championships among seniors, held in memory of emeritus coach Vasile Colța. The competition involves 216 judokas from all over the country, IPN reports.
The event is a tribute to Vasile Colța (1946–2020), who dedicated over 50 years to the training of several generations of judokas. His pupils won medals at European and world competitions, and his accomplishments were recognized through national and international awards, including the "Order of Honor".
The president of the Judo Federation Andrei Golban underlined the importance of the event. "It is a huge chance to motivate children to start practicing judo and to show that Moldova can organize international competitions at the highest level," said Andrei Golban.
Moldovan judoka achieved a series of important results, which strengthened Moldova's position on the international arena. This year, in Paris, Denis Vieru and Adil Osmanov won the first Olympic medals in judo in the history of Moldova – two bronzes. Mikhail Latyshev became European Under-23 champion, while Oxana Diacenco won bronze.
The Republic of Moldova will host the European Judo Championships for the first time in 2025.
