This weekend, we were thrilled to welcome around 250 Judoka to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow for an unforgettable weekend of Judo.
Now in its 13th year, The Gathering never fails to deliver top quality judoka from around the world and this year was no exception. Attendees learnt from three-time World Champion and Olympic medallist, Tato Grigalashvili.
Grigalashvili is widely regarded as one of the most talented Georgian Judoka of all time, and he brought his signature explosive style to the mat, breaking down the techniques behind the Georgian Judo style for a group eager to learn, grow, and develop their judo.
Coaching and Volunteering Manager, Paul McGuiness said “It’s been fantastic to welcome Tato to The Gathering. His explosive Georgian Judo style has brought a whole new energy to the event and offered a great contrast to the Japanese techniques we’ve focused on in recent years. It’s really added something special.”
“But The Gathering isn’t just about coach development, it’s about the Judo community coming together, learning from each other, and sharing a brilliant experience.”
Through his translator, European Junior Champion Irakli Goginashvili, Tato Grigalashvili shared “I am really thankful to have been invited to Scotland, and I am very happy to share my knowledge and experience with everyone here, the hospitality from everyone has been wonderful.
“Judo is such a wonderful sport and the thing that surprised me the most about Scotland was that I walked into the dojo here and I saw 12-year olds and then 85-year olds who were all on the tatami and training together and doing judo together – it’s been brilliant to see.”
We hope that everyone who attended the event had an enjoyable time and can take away some key learnings from their experience back into their club environment.
