DUSHANBE, November 27, 2013, Asia-Plus – Known Tajik athlete Salamsho Muhabbatov has won gold medal at the 5th IJF Veterans World Judo Championships, finishing first in -90kg category.
The 5th IJF Veterans World Judo Championships that was held from November 24 to November 26 was an IJF organized event in full co-operation with the United Arab Emirates Wrestling, Judo and Jui-jitsu Federation, which was the Host organization.
The minimum age for participation in the World Veterans is to be 30 years in the year of 2013.
This defines the age at which players first become eligible to compete; players were allocated into the appropriate 5 year Age Division such as M1/F1, which consisted of competitors who have their 30st, 31st, 32nd, 33rd or 34th birthday at any date during 2013. The M2/F2 Age Division consisted of players who have their 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th or 39th birthday at any date during 2013 etc.
Salamsho Muhabbatov, 53, competed in the age category of 53-34. In the first fight he beat Vladimir Markelov, in semi-final Salamsho Muhabbatov beat Radik Nourmukhammetkhanov, and in final he beat Yaroslav Banzhela.
This year, the event reportedly had a particular taste as it was organized right after the Judo Grand Prix and the competition benefited from using the same facilities as one of the top IJF World Judo Tour events.
During three days, an enthusiastic crowd saw an array of categories contested as veterans world champions were designated. The first day was dedicated to the women and the older generations. The oldest competitor in Abu Dhabi was 84 years old.
Actually, the IJF considers the Veterans activities as real social events and the locations are never chosen by chance. In Abu Dhabi, more than 200 competitors came with their family and spent holidays in the country. In 2014, the Veterans World Championships will be held in Marbella, Spain. They will be organized in coordination with the Kata World Championships.
