Tbilisi 2026 is loading: a stacked European Championships entry list raises the stakes

The buzz around Tbilisi is getting real. The 2026 Senior European Judo Championships are heading back to the Georgian capital for the first time in 17 years, and the entry list (as of 7 April 2026) already hints at a tournament packed with identity, pressure, and huge names.

Seven Olympic champions are currently listed to compete.

According to the latest entries, the line-up includes Lasha Shavdatuashvili, Lukas Krpalek, Hidayat Heydarov, Distria Krasniqi, Lasha Bekauri, Alice Bellandi and Zelym Kotsoiev. That mix of proven winners and fresh Olympic momentum is exactly the kind of ingredient that can turn a European Championships into something that feels global.

World champions are coming in numbers too: 23 are set to travel if the list holds. For European fans, it’s hard not to focus on the depth across the continent—Francisco Garrigós, Joan-Benjamin Gaba, Assunta Scutto, Odette Giuffrida, Matthias Casse, Joanne van Lieshout, Nemanja Majdov and Romane Dicko are all listed, alongside a powerful Georgian group led by Tato Grigalashvili.

Up to nine weight categories could feature title defences.

Across the 14 weight categories, the entry list contains 36 European champions. A few “gold collectors” stand out immediately: Dicko, Shirine Boukli, Krasniqi, Garrigós and Krpalek are among the most decorated names currently entered—athletes who have repeatedly proven they can handle the one-day sprint where every detail matters.

The numbers underline how big this edition could be. Georgia hosts the EJU flagship event for only the second time, after 2009 in Tbilisi. Back then, 260 judoka from 39 countries attended; for 2026, the list shows 410 athletes from 46 nations.

And there’s history in the background. The European Championships turn 75 years on the men’s side, and France still leads the all-time medal table. Meanwhile, Georgia sits 8th overall and returns after last year’s Podgorica success, with athletes like Giorgi Sardalashvili and Ilia Sulamanidze listed again as the home crowd starts dreaming.

Source: EJU_News