Portimão Builds Its Place on Europe’s Judo Calendar

Joaquim Baptista, president and coach of Judo Clube de Portimão, has reflected on the city’s route to the 2026 Veteran European Championships. For Baptista, Portimão’s growing role in European Judo began with a demanding opportunity in 2023.

That was when the Portuguese Judo Federation challenged the club to organise the 2024 Senior European Cup in Portimão. Baptista described the task as a major challenge, not only for the club but also for the city.

He nevertheless accepted, drawing confidence from the determination of the club’s athletes, coaches and wider community. The decision was about more than delivering one competition: it was intended as a platform for Portimão’s own development in Judo.

At the time, many of the club’s older judoka were competing in the junior age category. Baptista wanted to show that Portimão could aim higher and become capable of hosting an event on the European Junior Cup circuit.

The 2024 Senior European Cup gave that ambition fresh momentum. According to Baptista, its success showed that the club’s target was realistic and that a larger future on the European calendar could be built through commitment and teamwork.

A major event in 2024 helped turn a local ambition into a wider European Judo project.

Portimão has since become a familiar location for European Judo events and is now preparing to welcome the 2026 Veteran European Championships from 22 to 25 October. The journey, as Baptista presents it, has been powered by a club community willing to take on challenges and keep building.

For the people behind Judo Clube de Portimão, the next championship represents another step in a process that started with accepting a difficult assignment. It is also a reminder that a strong event legacy can grow from the shared work of athletes, coaches and organisers.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union