Aspiring sports journalists from the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports will help promote the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Judo Grand Prix in Baku from 13-14 May.
 
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the academy and the Azerbaijan National Paralympic Committee (NPC) to send students from the Masters programme to Baku to cover the performances of some of the world’s best judoka.
 
The agreement was signed by Azerbaijan NPC President Ilgar Rahimov and the Rector of the academy Fuad Hajiyev. It covers the production of videos about athletes and their stories as well as news and updates from the competition.
 
In addition, the students will help promote the wider work of the NPC in hosting other national and international events.
 
It is hoped that the agreement will lead to more awareness of the Paralympic movement in Azerbaijan in exchange for developing skills and talents of the next generation of sports journalists.

 
The Grand Prix in Baku will open the 2019 IBSA Judo season. Around 250 athletes from 43 countries are expected to compete for medals and also secure qualification points for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
 
The competition is also being hosted in collaboration with the International Judo Federation as part of an agreement to help grow the reach and profile of IBSA Judo.
 
A further Grand Prix in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will take place this year from 7-8 October. Inbetween there will be the IBSA Goalball and Judo International Qualifier in Fort Wayne, USA, from 2-5 July.
 
The 2019 IBSA Judo European Championships will offer athletes the chance to grab titles in Genova, Italy, from 27-28 July. Around 100 athletes from 16 countries are expected to compete.
 
Atyrau, Kazakhstan, will host the 2019 IBSA Judo Asia/Oceania Championships on 4-5 September. The location of competitions in previous years, Atyrau 2019 is expected to attract 100 athletes from 12 countries.