The best blind and partially sighted judokas from all over Europe are gathering in Portugal to compete in the IBSA Judo European Championships.

Over 100 athletes representing twenty countries are set to take to the tatami to battle for the title of IBSA European Champion and to gain a slot at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. The tournament is the last chance to win ranking points for Rio.

The event takes place in Odivelas, just north of Lisbon, and is organised by the Portuguese Judo Federation, the Portuguese Sports Federation for People with Disabilities and the IBSA Judo Committee. It is the first international blind judo event to be held in Portugal. 

Following the first official weigh-in and then the technical meeting and draw this evening, competition proper begins tomorrow morning on two mats with the preliminary rounds in a number of weight categories. You can follow all the action via live streaming at www.randori.pt/TV/.

Individual competition takes place over two days, followed by the team events, including a separate event exclusively for teams composed of totally blind (B1) athletes.  

Click here to watch the promo video for the IBSA Judo European Championships 2015.

Click here to visit the official web site for the championships.

Caption: screenshot of the web site.

Click here to join the event's Facebook group. 

Click on the link above for more information on the IBSA Blind Judo European Championships.