The new season of international judo begins to come to life this weekend (Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 February) with the unfolding of the Paris Grand Slam 2022, second appointment of the year for the World Tour after the Almada Grand Prix last weekend.
Headlights therefore focused on the splendid Bercy Accor Arena, which in two and a half years will be one of the venues for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the moment, over 300 athletes from 54 countries (representing all continents) are registered for the event, for a starting field of medium-high level which will surely make the two-day race extremely spectacular.
Italy will be able to count on five judokas in the men’s sector: Andrea Carlino (60 kg), Fabio Basile (73 kg), Lorenzo Parodi (81 kg), Christian Parlati and Nicholas Mungai (90 kg). Basile and Mungai are back to fight in an official competition for the first time since Tokyo 2021, while Parlati is looking for important confirmations in its new weight category after an excellent second place in the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Judo, Alice Bellandi and Christian Parlati immediately second in the Grand Prix Portugal at the debut in the new categories
Landlady France will try to dominate the scene, taking advantage of the maximum contingent of 4 athletes in each event and deploying on the mat a mix of great champions (such as Amandine Buchard, Marie Eve Gahie, Madeleine Malonga, Romane Dicko) and emerging young people already competing for the 2024 Olympic selection.
Currently appear in the entry-list of the event well six athletes at the top of the world ranking of the respective categories, as well as a long series of Olympic and world medalists. It is worth noting the presence of a large Japanese delegation (8 men and 12 women), candidates for a leading role in almost all the competitions of the program.
Photo: IJF
