Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, Tokyo will host one of the most important international judo tournaments Grand Slam, named after Jigoro Kano. Judokas from 53 countries will wrestle on tatami. Head coach of Georgian team Soso Liparteliani took 7 judokas to Japan at the beginning of December and held a preparation meeting there. According to the decision of coaching staff, Georgian team will not have a judoka in 100 kg. But two judokas will compete in 81 kg - Georgian champion Giorgi Baindurashvili and winner of European and World Youth Championships Avtandil Chrikishvili. Betkil Shukvani will compete in the lightest weight class, Shalva Kardava - in 66 kg, Tengiz Paposhvili - in 73 kg, Varlam Liparteliani - in 90 kg and Nodar Metreveli - in heavyweight class.
Voting has already been held and official website of International Judo Federation published its results.
Betkil Shukvani will wrestle against American Nikolas Kosor. If he wins, he will wrestle against winner between Austrian Ludwig Paischer and Japanese Takeshi Matsuki. Paischer is No.1 seed of the lightest weight class at Grand Slam.
Japanese Yunpei Morishita is the first opponent of Shalva Kardava. Winner between these two judokas will wrestle against winner between Romanian Dan Fasie and Canadian Sasha Mehmedovic. Supposedly, road of these four judokas will be crossed by Russian Musa Mogushkov in the 1/4 final. Mongolian Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaataryn is in this wrap too. In case of three victories, there is a big chance that Kardava might wrestle against him for the final.
Tengiz Paposhvili will wrestle against Uzbek Navruz Jurakobilov and if he wins, he will wrestle against Egyptian Hussein Hafiz or against Hongkonger Chi Ip Chung. No.1 seed Belgian Dirk Van Tichelt and French Benjamin Darbelet are in this wrap too.
Giorgi Baindurashvili and Avtandil Chrikishvili will start participation from the second round. Portuguese Diogo Lima will be the first opponent of Baindurashvili and in case of victory, he will wrestle against winner between British Ian Barton and Jewish Yoel Razvozov. Chrikishvili will wrestle against Polish Robert Kravchuk and then perhaps, he will wrestle against American Travis Stevens. No.1 seed is Brazilian Leandro Guilhero.
In case of beating three opponents, Varlam Liparteliani will wrestle against the main favorite host Takashi Ono. Member of Georgian team will start participation in Grand Slam with wrestling against South Korean So Keun Song. Winner between them will wrestle against Argentinian Hector Campos in the second round and against Brazilian Tiago Camilo in the 1/4 final.
Heavyweight Nodar Metreveli is in quite strong wrap. If he beats Japanese Masaru Momos, he will have to wrestle against another Japanese judoka. Before that Takahashi will wrestle against Filipino Tomohiko Hoshina. In the 1/4 final, ways of Metreveli and Cuban Oscar Bryson will join each other.
Champion of Tokyo Grand Slam will win 300 rating points, silver medal - 180 and bronze - 120. Judoka who will lose in the 1/4 final will get 60 points, loser in the 1/8 final - 36 and loser in the 1/16 final - 24.
Georgian team will finish season 2010 with this tournament.

Otar Maglakelidze