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Visually impaired judoka Zviad Gogotchuri competes in Tbilisi

Visually impaired judoka Zviad Gogotchuri competes in Tbilisi

24 Mar 2016 09:25
by Mark Pickering - IJF
Christian Fidler

Visually impaired (VI) judoka Zviad Gogotchuri of Georgia will face fully sighted judoka on Sunday as he lines up to compete in an event he won in its first year in 2014. After that competition Gogotchuri complained about his vision and after various tests it was deemed that he was partially sighted and he has since moved to VI judo in order to continue his passion on the biggest stages in world sport.

Gogotchuri’s vision deteriorated to the extent that he was eligible to compete on the VI circuit and he has since qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games by winning the IBSA World Games last year. The 29-year-old, who is still ranked 71st on the IJF world ranking list in the -90kg category, was in action at this event last year where he lost in his first contest but he is determined to face the best opponents available as he aims for Paralympic glory this summer.

The participation of VI judoka on the IJF World Judo Tour shows the universality of judo and the close relationship between the IJF and IBSA (International Blind Sports Federation) to jointly co-ordinate and continue to work on the development of judo worldwide.

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