The event marks a new participation record in 24 years of history and will feature Sweden and Costa Rica as debutant countries
The JCA Pérez Fernández Values Scholarships are born, in tribute to Agustín Pérez, a judoka of the club who died in 2011 and will be financed with Villa’s profits thanks to the sponsors
The 2024 edition will debut a giant screen, VIP area, a new broadcast channel through Telegram and will also be the starting signal to commemorate the 25 years of Judo Club Avilés
Avilés will once again wear its best clothes on October 26 and 27, 2024 to host the XXIII edition of the Villa de Avilés International Judo Tournament. This year, in addition, to its traditional name it adds ‘Great Event’, a qualification that the Royal Spanish Federation of Judo and Associated Sports and the Higher Sports Council (CSD) have launched and that in Spain only holds two places: Aviles and Alicante.
The event, which will mobilize nearly 7,000 people, including judokas and companions, was presented this Wednesday in the Reception Hall of the Avilés City Council in an event chaired by Mayor Mariví Monteserín and the Councilor for Sports, David García, together with the organizer and technical director of Judo Club Avilés, Carlos Fernández.
A wide representation of the social, political, sporting and economic sphere of the region has gathered to learn the details of a tournament that is evolving and which this year launches a channel on Telegram, so that the competitors do not miss any details of the information about the event. . Added to this, as a novelty, is a giant screen where the results and the continuity of the broadcast through YouTube will be projected, in a decided commitment to the audiovisual section.
With the desire to continue growing and for the tournament to continue being an economic engine for the city, a VIP area has been set up at the top of the Avilés Sports Complex so that sponsors, athletes, club officials and authorities, among others, can They can have their own space. “In the end, sport is made up of all of us: clubs, brands, administrations… And this year we wanted to establish a real point of networking where to talk and establish contacts. We seek to generate interactions between sport and companies,” said Carlos Fernández.
Becas JCA
One of the great novelties of this edition, beyond the competitive, lies in the announcement of the creation of the JCA Pérez Fernández Values Scholarships, “financed with the benefits of the selfless support of the sponsors,” Fernández has advanced. The names of the scholarships come to give continuity to the figure of Agustín Pérez, a former JCA judoka who died in 2011 in a traffic accident and who will celebrate the twelfth edition of his memorial framed in the Villa in 2024. “He started with me when I almost had hair and he gave an example of the values that we have sought for 23 years,” he recalled. The event was attended by his parents and his sister, who received a trophy from the organizer and the director of El Corte Inglés in Avilés. Luis Sarciada, one of the main drivers of the tournament.
In purely sporting terms, the event on the last weekend of October returns with a new absolute record: 1,900 judokas will be in Avilés, a figure never seen in the 24 years of history since in 2023 there were 1,800, compared to 1,650 in 2022. “Every year I think it’s crazy, but this sport, and specifically this tournament, always has the ability to surprise me. This edition we have reached numbers that I would never have imagined and I no longer dare to say that we cannot grow more because, with each edition that passes, it is proven that I was wrong,” said the organizer.
All the autonomous communities as well as countries like Portugal, Scotland or the United Kingdom return to a tournament in which Sweden and Costa Rica make their debut. This year is even more special since the Villa de Avilés is the starting signal for the events for the 25th anniversary of Judo Club Avilés. The entity celebrates a quarter of a century and, starting next November, a series of events and actions have been prepared to commemorate the date. “We are with the program of events because, in the end, 25 years do not happen every day. Knowing that we have reached a quarter of a century makes us feel proud because it means that the families support us, but at the same time assuming the responsibility of continuing to educate kids,” Fernández explained.
Parallel activities
In parallel, the collaboration with the Brotherhood of Good HDL Cholesterol also continues with the ‘Heart Healthy Breakfasts’, an event that will take place next Friday, October 25 at the Hotel 40 Nudos, from nine in the morning.
Another proposal that is maintained, for the third year, is that of free guided tours of the historic center of the town. They will be on Saturday the 26th at 11 in the morning with a meeting point at the Tourist Office and an hour and a half duration. The only requirement is to register in person, by email ([email protected]) or by phone at the Avilés Tourism Office (985 544 325). In addition, there will be a tourist information point in the pavilion with hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Schedules
Friday, October 25
4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Under-21 and under-18 weigh-in (only day of weigh-in) and accreditations. We begin weigh-ins on the athletics track and accreditations in the assembly hall.
9:30 p.m. Giveaways. Raffle event in the assembly hall.
Saturday October 26
7:30 hours. Opening of the pavilion.
8:00 hours. Start of warm-up.
9:00 a.m. Qualifiers and repechages for the male and female Cadet category.
3:30 p.m. (approximate time). Cadet final block, at the end of the under-21 category competition.
4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Under-15 weigh-in on the athletics track.
9:00 p.m. Giveaways.
Sunday October 27
7:30 hours. Opening of the pavilion.
9:00 a.m. Under-15 competition.
11:00 hours. Under-13 team weigh-in (assembly hall).
2:30 p.m. (approximate time). At the end of the sub-15, Alevín team competition.
