Judo Canada – Montreal, December 18th, 2017 – Canada’s judokas already dazzle on the world stage, and now their home country will re-join the ranks of host nations of international judo tournaments. From June 29 to July 1, 2018, Montreal will host the Canada Cup, a new continental tournament featuring over 600 athletes from approximately 20 countries competing at the senior, junior, and cadet levels.

The Canada Cup tournament was previously held from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. It featured senior-level athletes exclusively. The 2018 edition will be held at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. It will provide spectators with a unique opportunity to observe several of the athletes who hope to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the judo events will be a major attraction, given the popularity of the sport in Japan.

“The city of Montreal, already a destination of choice for the country’s top judokas, is proud to host the judo Canada Cup and be a major partner of the event. As such, I would like to offer my best wishes for success to all the participants,” stated Rosannie Filato, executive committee member responsible for sports for the city of Montreal.

The annual competition will be of particular importance to cadet-level athletes, given that it will serve as a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October 2018.

Judo Canada’s chief executive officer and high performance director, Nicolas Gill, affirmed that hosting international competitions on Canadian soil has figured highly on his list of priorities ever since he was appointed to the position a year and a half ago.

“Organizing this event represents a significant milestone in our strategic plan. From the perspective of the sport, not only will this event provide our aspiring athletes with the opportunity to shine on their home turf, but it will enable us as a federation to demonstrate the commercial potential of the sport to our current and prospective business partners. The economic impact of the event will be certainly be substantial and will pave the way to even bigger projects. We’re looking at the big picture!”

The former athlete won two bronze medals in the Canada Cup tournament, in 1991 and 1992, in addition to having volunteered at the competition in 1984.

“It’s a great way to promote the sport and introduce it to the next generation of young people.”

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Information :
Patrick Esparbès
Chief Operating Officer
(514) 668-6279
p.esparbes@judocanada.org