Message from the President of the Hellenic Judo Federation, Mr. Evangelos Soufleris, for the 15th World Under 20 World Championships (October 2009).
Greece, the land where the Olympic Spirit was born, will host one of the most significant Judo events, on October 2009: The world Under 20 championships. The International Judo Federation granted us with this tournament, after taking into consideration the rise of the Greek Judo in international level during the last decade, and also by recognizing that the Hellenic Judo Federation has the “know-how” and the experience to respond to the needs of such an important event, as World U20 championships are.
It gives us great pride, because no major championships have been held in our country since 2004. The championship will promote our country. The best athletes of the present and of the future will compete in Greece, and it is my belief that it will be a spark for young people to take up this intellectual sport. The people of the Federation feel happy and honored for the undertaking of the Championship, since never before have we organized such a major event. The Olympic Games involved all the sports. At the same time, my partners and I strongly believe that with the on-going support of the State, we will meet the demands of the spectators, the athletes, the IJF and, of course, the history of Hellenic judo.
The Under 20 World Championships will be hosted at the second biggest indoor stadium in Greece. The Peace and Friendship Stadium, which is an indoor arena located in Faliro, hosted indoor volleyball during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The arena opened in 1985. Various major international events had been previously hosted, including the Final tournament of the 1987 Men`s European Basketball Championships and the preliminary games of the 1998 FIBA World Basketball Championships. After the renovations for the 2004 Olympic Games, the venue’s current seating capacity is 13,000 seats. The arena is the regular home court of Olympiacos basketball club.
The Peace and Friendship Stadium is located in Piraeus, on the Faliro coastal zone, 2 km to Piraeus centre, 10 km to Athens and 32 km to the airport. Access to the competition area is very easy, via car, bus, subway and tram.
We have already dealt with the volunteer’s aspect, as we have an excellent example from the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. We are confident that in this particular area, the World U20 Championships will be a huge success.
Furthermore, the official web site of the tournament is already «on air». The internet address is www.worldjudo2009.gr. This site will be informed regularly.
We are looking forward to seeing you next year in Athens, Greece, for the 15th World Under 20 World Championships.