The Championships will return to the Georgian capital from April 16 to 19, 17 years after Tbilisi last hosted the competition. Slovenia will be represented by a young team determined to chase the nation’s 55th medal at the senior European Championships.
This year’s event is set to be highly competitive. When Tbilisi hosted the Championships in 2009, 260 judoka from 39 countries took part. In 2026, that number has risen to 410 athletes from 46 nations. The field includes seven Olympic champions, 23 world champions and 36 European champions, underlining the scale of the challenge awaiting the Slovenian team. Unlike some recent editions, there will be no mixed team event following the individual competition, as that tournament is scheduled separately for November 7 in Belgrade.
For Slovenia, this year’s Championships are particularly interesting because of the team’s composition. The squad has an average age of just 22.67 and features several athletes preparing for their senior European Championships debut. Slovenia has won 54 medals in the history of the senior European Championships, including 52 in individual events and two won by the women’s team.
On the opening day, David Štarkel and Gal Blazič will compete in the men’s under-60kg division. It will be Štarkel’s eighth appearance at the senior European Championships, and he arrives in solid form after finishing third at the African Open in Casablanca and second at the Ljubljana European Open this season. Blazič will make his senior European debut, although he already has strong continental pedigree, having claimed two bronze medals at the Cadet European Championships.
Slovenia will have two representatives in the women’s under-57kg category on day two, with Nika Tomc and Jevgenija Gajić both set to compete. Tomc will be making her first appearance at senior European level and is regarded as one of the country’s rising talents. The 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival champion enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, taking silver in Linz and bronze in Zagreb on the Grand Prix circuit. She has carried that momentum into 2026 with victory at the Junior European Cup in Lignano and a third-place finish at the Ljubljana European Open. Gajić will also make her first appearance at an individual senior European Championships, having previously been part of Slovenia’s mixed team squad in 2022. She opened the year with bronze in Casablanca and finished fifth at last year’s Junior World Championships in Lima.
In the women’s under-63kg category, Kaja Kajzer and Leila Mazouzi will represent Slovenia. Kajzer, a two-time European silver medallist in 2021 and 2024, will make her eighth appearance at the Championships. After moving up a weight category last year, she has already made a strong impression this season with victory at the Ljubljana European Open and bronze at the Tbilisi Grand Slam. Mazouzi, meanwhile, will make her senior European debut after previously earning bronze medals at the Cadet European Championships and the European Youth Olympic Festival.
In the men’s under-73kg division, Martin Hojak and Urh Ogrizek have been selected. Hojak will make his tenth appearance at the senior European Championships and enters the event as one of the most experienced members of the Slovenian squad. His best chance of a medal came in 2016, when he narrowly missed out after losing the bronze medal contest to fellow Slovenian Rok Drakšič. Ogrizek will be making his debut at this level after winning his first senior international medal in Skopje last September.
On the third day of competition, Slovenia will also be represented in the women’s under-70kg and men’s under-81kg categories. Kaja Schuster and Nika Koren will compete in the under-70kg division. Schuster will make her third senior European Championships appearance, having already built an impressive record in younger age categories, including the 2023 European junior title and bronze at last year’s European Under-23 Championships. Koren will debut at the senior Championships and has already collected two European Cup medals this year. In the men’s under-81kg category, Nace Herkovič will make his third appearance at the senior European Championships after twice reaching the podium at European Cup events in 2025.
Slovenia’s campaign will conclude on the last day of competition with Metka Lobnik in the women’s under-78kg category. Lobnik, who recorded Slovenia’s best result at last year’s Championships in Podgorica with seventh place, will now make her fourth appearance at the event. Since returning from injury, she has taken bronze at the Grand Prix in Linz and finished fifth at the Tbilisi Grand Slam. Ranked sixth in the world, she is set to be one of the seeded athletes in her division.
Beyond the sporting storylines, the 2026 European Championships will also carry historical significance. The first edition of the event was held in Paris in 1951, meaning this year marks the 75th anniversary of the competition. Tbilisi 2026 will also stand as the 75th men’s and 52nd women’s European Championships.
Slovenia travels to Georgia with a squad defined by youth, quality and ambition. The challenge will be formidable, with nine reigning European champions returning to defend their titles, but such occasions often provide the stage for the biggest breakthroughs.
