National judo competition takes over Calgary’s Olympic Oval

Calgary played host to over 1,100 athletes this May long weekend as they competed in Canada's largest judo competition.

Calgary hosted the country’s largest annual judo competition this long weekend.

More than 1,100 athletes from 11 provinces and territories were competing across multiple age divisions for national titles.

Roughly 150 of the athletes hail from Alberta.

The event marks the end of the season for most of the athletes, but it’s also one of the most important.

“This is also a qualifier for the national team, and specifically for the cadet division, U18,” said Nicholas Gill with Judo Canada.

“It’s a direct qualifier for the cadet world championship that will be held in August in Ecuador, so a very important event for that age group.”

It’ the fifth time in 12 years that Calgary has hosted the national championship.