Organised with the support of the charitable programme DobroFON and the charitable foundation Kolыbel Otechestva, the “Battle for Moscow” tournament of the Russian Judo Federation (FDR) and the Moscow Judo Federation has concluded in the capital. Its participants — the best clubs of the region — competed for a prize fund of 42 million roubles. Victory was claimed by the “Akademiya Pobediteley” team from Dolgoprudny. Silver went to the “Fryazino” team, while bronze was awarded to UOR “Moskva”.
According to the tournament rules, each team match continues until one side achieves 13 victories in individual bouts, and it ends early if one of the teams scores eight points. In addition, the organisers abandoned the so-called golden score principle, under which a draw after regular time leads to an additional period lasting until the first score or penalty. In the “Battle for Moscow”, in the case of equal scores between two competitors, a draw (hiki-wake) is declared, and each team receives one point.
The tournament lasted three days. “It is symbolic that the final took place on the day when, in 1941, one of the key battles of the Great Patriotic War – the Battle for Moscow – began,” the press release noted.
FDR President Sergey Soloveychik remarked that the organisation “decided to experiment: to expand the usual boundaries of competitions, to make them more accessible to spectators, more interesting, and more spectacular.” “This provided not only valuable experience for the participants but also a new impulse for the development of youth judo. One of our priorities today has become the club movement. For the third year now, the Continental Judo League has been developing successfully – the number of participants is growing, and titled athletes are getting involved in the project. At the same time, financial support for athletes is also increasing,” he added.
According to FONBET’s managing shareholder Valentin Golovanov, “the tournament was held at the highest level, and the bouts were breathtaking.” He expressed joy and pride that the bookmaker became “the general partner of such a large-scale event.” “Our company has long cooperated with the Russian Judo Federation: together we hold the Continental League, the Russia Judo Tour, and now we have added the ‘Battle for Moscow’ to our collection. We are confident that many more bright projects await us ahead,” he summarised.
The event was also summed up by FONBET’s Deputy General Director Alexey Yagudin. “If someone still doesn’t believe in miracles – it’s time to start, because they happen regularly,” he said. “For example, I – an Olympic champion in figure skating – found myself at a judo event for the first time today. Sport unites. And now – I, a representative of a winter sport, have found myself among fans of a Japanese martial art.”
Mr Yagudin also shared his impressions from watching the bouts: “Here, sport is not only about physics, but also about strategy and a cool head. Lose concentration for just a moment, and victory slips away. Here, you can make your opponent believe you are weak, while at that very moment you are preparing a winning throw. That is the whole beauty of judo. That is exactly what impressed me.”
Source: Kommersant
