The 2021 Senior European Judo Championships in Portugal is less than four weeks away. With final preparations in place to welcome athletes from across the continent, it looks set to be a resounding success as the Covid-19 cases take a dive following a stark rise during winter.
Hosting one of our highlight events of the year, the Altice Arena lies right on the coast with spectacular views but inside will provide ample space for all of the athletes, coaches and delegations in accordance with rules and regulations during this pandemic. As always, the safety of the athletes is a priority.
By now, most or all who will be travelling to take the European title will have experienced the new system, testing, isolating and quarantining, adjusting to the new normal. The Covid-19 situation has continued to improve since January following a difficult winter period, now the cases are so low that they mimic the the start of the pandemic when the disease was still fairly unknown.
The Portuguese are known for their hosting abilities, but the last senior continental championships was hosted over a decade ago and they can’t wait to welcome it back to their shores. We were reminded of their abilities to put on a show stopper in 2019 with the European Club Championships, both the Europa and Champions League were held in Odivelas.
Especially with the upcoming events in the IJF tour, it will be an interesting selection of athletes, all in their prime to take both a European title and earn their places at the top.
Source: www.eju.net
