Montreal, October 17, 2018 – For the first time in history, Canada will host an event on the world’s most prestigious international judo circuit. In July 2019, the Montreal Grand Prix will bring together the world’s top 500 athletes from more than 60 countries for this pivotal competition in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic selection process.

“This decision by the International Judo Federation (IJF) is very significant,” affirmed Nicolas Gill, Chief Executive Officer and High Performance Director of Judo Canada. “It brings Canada into the major leagues of our sport! The IJF will witness first-hand the exceptional quality of judo events held in Montreal, which is our largest market in the country.”

“A very positive aspect for Judo Canada is the opportunity to provide the spectators in Montreal with an exciting show involving the best judokas in the world, including Canadians. For the first time ever, we will have the home field advantage in an Olympic selection competition and we intend to take full advantage of it to showcase Canada’s athletes,” added Gill.

From July 5 to 7, 2019, the Maurice-Richard arena will be the site of the 2019 Montreal Grand Prix, which will be televised in more than 50 countries and digitally broadcast in more than 204 countries.

“It’s a historic moment, and only the first step toward hosting even more prestigious events. Our objective: World Championships!” declared Mike Tamura, president of the national federation. “On behalf of Judo Canada, I would like to thank the Government of Canada, Sport Canada, the Government of Quebec, the city of Montreal and Tourisme Montréal for their invaluable and essential support. This would not have been possible without them.”

Indispensable Montreal Support

Tourisme Montréal is delighted that this international event will be held in its city. “This major announcement is the result of close collaboration with Judo Canada. It demonstrates that we must join forces to provide Montreal with the means to achieve its goal of becoming the premier sport city in Canada. Our team will work with its Montreal partners to ensure that the hundreds of participants, who will arrive from more than 60 countries, are provided with a memorable stay in our city. The hosting of this type of competition is a golden opportunity for Montreal to showcase its savoir-faire. It will provide our city with excellent international exposure,” noted Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.

The Grand Prix was created by the IJF in 2009. It is the highest-level event on the Judo World Tour, which also includes four Grand Slams, a masters’ tournament and an open continental tournament. The Montreal Grand Prix is the sixth to be awarded to the Americas, after Miami (2013), Havana (2014 and 2016) and Cancun (2017 and 2018).

2019 Grand Prix season:

• January 25 to 27, 2019 (to be confirmed): city to be determined, Morocco
• March 29 to 31, 2019: Tbilisi, Georgia
• April 5 to 7, 2019: Antalya, Turkey
• May 10 to 12, 2019: Baku, Azerbaijan
• May 24 to 26, 2019: Hohhot, China
• July 5 to 7, 2019: Montreal, Canada
• July 12 to 14, 2019: Budapest, Hungary
• July 26 to 28, 2019: Zagreb, Croatia

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Written by Sportcom for Judo Canada