Faro Set for Record-Breaking Cadet Judo Weekend

Faro is getting ready to become a major meeting point for young judo talent when the 2026 Millennium Team Cadet European Cup Tour arrives on 23–24 May. For one weekend, the Algarve city will trade its usual image for the intensity of tatami action, welcoming a huge international field and a strong home team.

This edition is already making history. According to the event information, Faro will host a record participation level for a European judo event held in Portugal, with 618 judoka from 32 countries set to compete. That alone gives the tournament extra weight, but it also says a lot about how important this stop has become on the cadet calendar.

Faro is about to host one of Portugal’s biggest cadet judo moments.

The level should be high from the opening contests. The entry list includes 21 athletes currently ranked in the top 10 of the Cadet World Ranking List in their categories, including two world number ones. Among them is Türkiye’s Hatice Tuana Balci in +70 kg, who comes in looking to reinforce her place at the top of the rankings. Brazil’s Arthur Bonato in -50 kg also arrives as a world number one, aiming to add more valuable points.

For Portugal, the weekend carries even more meaning. The host nation will field 99 athletes, and 39 of them already hold Cadet World Ranking List points. That gives the local team both depth and genuine expectations ahead of a competition that comes at a crucial stage of the season.

One of the main Portuguese names to watch is Sofia Gaspar in -52 kg. She is currently ranked 14th in the world and has reached the podium at every European event she has entered this season. In Faro, she sees another important step before the European Championships.

Gaspar said her objective is to reach the medals and give her best on the tatami in every contest. She also underlined how different it feels to compete in Portugal, explaining that home support brings a special kind of confidence, even with Faro far from Coimbra.

Sofia Gaspar brings consistency and momentum into a key home event.

Her season, she said, has been built on continuous training, dedication, balancing school and training, and developing a stronger mindset. Those details matter in cadet judo, where progress often depends on what happens away from competition just as much as on the day itself.

Portugal’s cadet national team will be led by coach Joana Ramos, who described the event as the culmination of a full season of work. She pointed to Faro as the final major opportunity before the cadet European Championships, giving the tournament both competitive and emotional importance.

Ramos also stressed that competing at home can be decisive, not only because of qualification standards for the cadet European Championships, but because athletes get the chance to perform in front of club teammates, national teammates, families and coaches who support them every day.

That makes Faro more than just another stop on the tour. It is a record-setting event, a pressure test for some of Europe’s best cadets, and a big home stage for Portugal’s rising generation. On 23–24 May, the focus in the south of Portugal will be fully on the tatami.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union