(ATR)International Judo Federation President Marius Vizer answered three dozen queries in his latest #AskVizer Twitter forum July 11. Vizer regularly uses the social media channel to stay in touch with the IJF family.
Vizer said he’s headed to Paris next week to firm up venue plans for judo in 2024. For Tokyo 2020, Vizer says he is looking forward to debut of the team event. As Japan is the ancestral home of the sport, Vizer says he is expecting some special events to commemorate that heritage.
On the controversial exclusion of Israeli athletes from competing in some nations such as Tunisia, Vizer says the IJF is working to resolve the ban, the result of political issues.
"We are doing our best and our wish is to offer all nations the same rights according to their participation in judo events. From historical, political issues between different nations in the world which basically have to be solved by politicians & international organizations," wrote Vizer.
In reply to whether Israel might host an IJF world championship, Vizer wrote "one step at a time".
Lacrosse Forms New Plan for Olympic Acceptance
The FIL general assembly agreed on a detailed strategy for the sport’s future.
In order to grow, lacrosse needs more participation. The plan highlights expanding to more regions and establishing more national federations. FIL also wants an increased television and media audience to engage more youth and appeal to a global audience. The hope is that all of the steps lead to eventual Olympic competition.
FIL CEO Jim Scherr said in a statement "There is a lot of work ahead. Lacrosse is an incredible sport that is growing quickly around the world that has values consistent with the values of the Olympic Movement and would make a positive addition to the Olympic program."
The member nations also passed rule changes, establishing symmetry between both men and women. The number of players on each side was raised to 10 in the women’s game, matching that of the men. Both genders will play four, 15-minute quarters. In order to speed up play, the "over and back" was removed. However, this change only affects the men’s side.
Sue Redfern, FIL president, stated, "We are looking to harmonize the sport between men and women, and not altering the traditional styles of play, as we continue to identify ways to increase fan engagement and following of the sport. We are pleased with the adoption of these rules which shall increase the speed of the game and increase the safety of athletes."
A record 53 countries participated in the general assembly. It was held in Israel this week ahead of the World Championships, which began on July 11.
New IWF Weight Categories
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) approved new weight categories for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at its Congress in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
For Tokyo the IOC has reduced the weightlifting classes from eight to seven and cut the number of athletes by 25 percent to 196, men and women. The IOC is forcing the changes in response to chronic doping cases at the Olympics and world championships.
The seven categories for men and the seven for women were ratified by the IWF Congress on July 6, a dayafter they were approved by the IWF executive board.They will now be included in the qualification system for the 2020 Games. The congress also approved 10 new weight categories for each gender.
The congress was followed by the IWF Junior World Championships, which run to July 14. The Uzbek capital was tapped less than a year ago to handle the event after originally awarding it to Pyongyang, North Korea.
In 2017, amid rising tensions over missile tests and the travel difficulties faced by athletes, the IWF switched to Tashkent, a frequent host of IWF championships.
Written by Ed Hula,Gerard Farekand Jeffrey Farek
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