TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY

The World Cup in Rotterdam will go down in the history of judo as one of the most memorable, especially for the national team of Azerbaijan which won a bronze medal via Kifayat Qasimova, (57 kg) who proved her high class, displaying excellent morale and determination. She was also competing with an injured knee, so her result may, without exaggeration, be called heroic.

Ordinary heroism

This world championship will be remembered for its sensational results. This is no joke, the Japanese men's team failed to win a single "gold" for the first time since 1956. Moreover, of the champions at the Beijing Olympics, only the Chinese Tong Wen (78+ kg) came first in Rotterdam, while several others, including Elnur Mammadli did not make it to this competition. However, their absence meant that other wrestlers had a chance to express themselves, although some did not make the best of the opportunity. In particular, Elxan Mammadov (90 kg), who was sixth in the International Federation (IJF) rankings before the championship, failed to demonstrate his abilities, losing his second contest to Moroccan Mohamed El-Assri.

But Elmar Qasimov (100 kg), for whom the trip to Rotterdam was only his third appearance in an adult contest, gave us a pleasant surprise. One can say that he has great prospects; he just needs to gain experience and get used to the company of the strongest, although Elmar has already proved that he is not afraid of titled rivals and not only fights on equal terms, but also wins. That's how he "overcame" three-time European champion Ariel Ze'evi, world championship medallist Oreidis Despaigne from Cuba, and also beat Japan's Takamasa Anai one minute into the fight. On the other hand, Qasimov did not have the power to win his semi-final against the Kazakh Maksim Rakov and later, the match for third place against Ramadan Darwish from Egypt. So there is still something to work on.

However, what did not work for the men's team was managed by Qasimova who, before going to the mat, had three packages of plaster applied to her injured knee. Despite this, Kifayat, who had missed a great competition, fully slaked her "thirst" for tournaments by winning a medal. In fact she would have been fighting in the final if the referee had not disallowed a clear strike in the semi-final against triple world champion Thelma Monteiro. However that may be, Kifayat proved that in the long run she can challenge for a world "gold", especially since the world championships are held on an annual basis.

At the same time, her successful performance in Rotterdam allowed Kifayat to boost her ratings significantly. Thus, third place at the world championship is valued at two hundred points, which provide a good springboard for strengthening her position, as does the one hundred points earned by E. Qasimov, who came fifth in the Netherlands. We should not forget that next year the athletes will also begin to chase qualification points for the London Olympics.

Overall, the team's performance should be considered successful, as it maintained its tradition - since 2001, they have won at least one medal at the world championships. In addition, everything becomes clear by comparison - in Rotterdam, the Brazilians, Georgians and many other teams left without medals. So the team accomplished its minimum task and must now prepare for next year.

Baku wants to host the world championship

Incidentally, the World Cup gave us food for thought before it even started. This happened at the congress of the International Judo Federation (IJF), which named Baku as a contender to host the World Championship in 2013. In recent years, our team has gained significant victories on the world stage, and it is time now to reinforce them with an organizational component.

 It is not so easy to earn the right to stage a competition, as they are planned several years ahead. Thus the nearest free date is 2013. There are quite a few contenders to host this one - Budapest, London and Rio, and the deadline for submitting applications is still open. In this respect, Azerbaijan's initiative is a serious one and, in general, logical, based on the success of our judokas in the international arena. Especially as we have already hosted world championships in Olympic sports - suffice to mention wrestling and rhythmic gymnastics. In addition, Baku hosts a world cup each year and we have already hosted the European youth championship. So we have more than enough experience.

On the other hand, it is not enough to submit an application. One also has to fight for  the right, especially as the competition is quite serious. London, for example, which already has an excellent infrastructure, will further improve its capacity to host large-scale competitions following the 2012 Olympics. Budapest is already experienced in organizing judo contests and this year hosted the world youth championship. Rio hosted the world championship in 2005 and the South Americans are quite happy to compete for another. At the same time, we should not forget that IJF head Marius Vizer has repeatedly visited Baku and knows firsthand about our organizational capabilities.

If the national federation seriously intends to fight for the world championship, they may need to involve the Olympic champion Elnur Mammadli, a man who needs no special introduction, in the campaign. In short, the strategy has yet to be considered, but the first step has already been taken - the IJF considers Azerbaijan to be a potential host of the contest.

Rule changes 

The IJF congress also adopted a number of important decisions and innovations. The IJF Refereeing Commission announced plans for changes to the rules of judo. All types of leg holds used in judo so far will be penalized. "We do not want our sport to be confused with other martial arts. Judo is judo and the IJF wants to return to true judo," explains the head of the Refereeing Commission, Juan Carlos Barcos. The IJF is concerned over the fact that sambo combat techniques are being used more and more frequently in judo matches. "It is not good for the future of our sport in the Olympics," says Barcos. The change will be tested during the world youth judo championship to be held in Paris in October.

Barcos also announced that the next step in the modernization and professionalisation of judo is to use only one referee on the mat instead of three. This will be done in order to raise the quality and standard of refereeing. "It is easier to find 20 good referees and to work with them to prepare them better and improve their skills, than to have 40 referees at the same level. But the referee on the mat will not be alone, as video recordings will help him to avoid mistakes. If problems arise, they can be used to determine the accuracy of points. At the world championship in Paris, the referee will be in radio contact with the chief referee so that, if necessary, he can consult him immediately, added Barcos.

Our goal is to make judo more professional, and refereeing must be at a very high level. On the other hand, the fewer referees there are on the mat, the cleaner the surface of the mat will be for the match and the visual effect will be more attractive to the public and television," emphasized the head of the IJF Refereeing Commission.

Returning to our team, I should add that, after the World Cup, Qasimova was invited to the Grand Slam tournament in Tokyo. By tradition, the organizers send invitations to the winners of the Olympics and the World Championship, so Kifayat was automatically selected for the tournament. However, due to her knee injury, she is unlikely to perform at the competition scheduled for December. It is expected that in the near future the athlete will have an operation so that she can recover in time for next year's qualifying competitions, especially as points for places at the Olympics will be available in the new season. So selection for London will begin very soon. This means that athletes need to go to tournaments at the peak of fitness.