Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan to bolster ties in judo

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijani and Uzbek Judo Federations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Azernews reports.

The MoU focuses on strengthening the mutual understanding and solidarity between the peoples of the two countries through cooperation, developing friendly ties, and achieving mutually beneficial results aimed at the development of judo by establishing joint activities.

At the same time, partnership between the parties will be established in sports research, support for the organization of sports events, medical collaboration, and other areas.

The document was signed by ACF vice-president Elnur Mammadli and UJF president Azizjan Kamilov.

Founded in 1972, the Azerbaijani Judo Federation has actively promoted this martial art across the country.

Since 2015, the federation has been led by Rovnag Abdullayev.

The country's modern judo history was laid by Mehman Azizov, who won a silver medal at the Old World Championship in 1998.

However, the achievements of the Azerbaijani judokas do not end with him as Elnur Mammadli was named the best at the Beijing Olympics 2008 in the 73 kg category. In the final, he beat Wang Ki-Chun and brought home a gold medal.

In Beijing, Movlud Miraliyev enriched the country's medal haul with a bronze medal.

The list of the country's top judo fighters includes Rustam Orujov, Irina Kindzerskaya, Mammadali Mehdiyev, Elmar Gasimov, Hidayat Heydarov, Zelim Kotsoev, Ushangi Kokauri, and Nijat Shikhalizada.

Azerbaijani judokas continue to achieve global successes enriching the country's medal haul with new victories.