At the official draw on Thursday 12th November, officials delivered the customary welcome. Present for the International Judo Federation were Education Director Mr Florin Daniel Lascau, Head Sport Director Mr Vladimir Barta and Head Referee Director Mr Armen Bagdasarov.

Present for the Croatian Judo Federation were CJF President Dr Sanda Corak, CJF General Secretary Mr Miroslav Novković and representative of the mayor of Zagreb Mr Stjepan Crnokic.

The speeches began with Mr Florin Daniel Lascau, “Dear President Corak, distinguished guests, athletes, referees, coaches, and judo friends, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 16th Zagreb Grand Prix here in Croatia. This occasion celebrates the strong and long and co-operation between the IJF and the Croatian Judo Federation. Through many years of organising events we have built a partnership and trust showing a shared commitment to our sport. In the name of our President Mr Marius Vizer, it is an honour to declare the 16th Zagreb Grand Prix open. Thank you, hrvala.”

Dr Sanda Corak then responded, “Dear athletes, dear coaches, all team members, dear colleagues and IJF directors, it is really my great pleasure to welcome you all to Croatia and to the Zagreb Grand Prix 2026. As you may know, the Croatian Judo Federation is organising a lot of competitions through the year but this grand prix is always our flagship event. Our aim is to have all aspects get better and better every year so that all participants can feel safe and comfortable here."

"A competition with close to 500 competitors is always a challenging task and as we want to share the values of judo alongside the competition, we have been organising additional activities. Two days ago, the scientific conference began, thinking about applicable research in judo. We have also organised a kids camp and in the afternoons we will bring children to watch the final blocks.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who help us with the organisation, from volunteers to staff of the Croatian Judo Federation, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, and all sponsors. I wish all national teams the best of luck for the draw and on the tatami and I hope you will have an enjoyable stay in Zagreb.”

Mr Stjepan Crnokic then took the floor, “Dear athletes, coaches, delegates and guests, on behalf of our Mayor of the City of Zagreb, welcome to our city. I’m proud that this grand prix is taking place again in Zagreb. The preparation is very complex and I congratulate the Croatian Judo Federation. Finally I wish everyone a pleasant stay in the City of Zagreb and all the best.”

Following some logistical information for delegations, Mr Armen Bagdasarov then explained the refereeing approach, “Dear judo family, on behalf of the IJF Refereeing Commission, I would like to welcome you all to the Zagreb Grand Prix 2026. We are present here with a selection of 15 of the best referees. IJF supervisors and directors will double check video reviews for transparent and fair matches. I wish you all the best of luck.”

Mr Vladimir Barta then conducted the mechanics of the draw with support from the IJF IT team.

With the draw done, coaches and athletes present and ready, all that remains is a good night’s sleep and a perfect warm up. Day one will begin at 9:45am local time. Tune in to JudoTV.com to catch all the action live.