Nazim Umbayev: The Sofia World Championship is important for me in terms of experience

Azerbaijani judo referee Nazim Umbayev answered the questions of the "Report" employee sent to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The representative of justice, who manages the meetings in the Mundial, spoke about the competition and his career.

- How is the World Championship going? What can you say about the organization?

- It's going very well. We are witnessing intense fights. About 600 judokas from more than 70 countries are testing their strength in the Mundial.

- Were there any countries that surprised you in the Mundial?

- Now is the time when there are no weak countries. Judo is developing all over the world. This development increases even more over time. It improves every year, new faces emerge. There are no specific leaders. We see a new athlete every time.

- The individual competitions are coming to an end. Did the judges cope with their work?

- This is the world championship. Those in the top 15 of the ranking are invited to such competitions. I can say that judging is at a high level like organization.

- You received category A in 2022. What is the importance of this Mundial in your career?

- It is important in terms of experience. The more invitations I receive to world championships, the more I will increase my experience.

- Which competition have you been invited to after this?

- It is not clear yet. There are many tournaments ahead. One of the prestigious competitions is the world championship among young people. I guess I'll get an invitation to one of them.

- What is your main goal in your career?

- I want to participate as a referee in the Summer Olympic Games to be held in 2028. I am working for it.

- Finally, we would like you to talk about the performance of Azerbaijani athletes. We finished the individual fight with two bronze medals...

- The level of preparation of our judokas was high. It just seems to me that our representatives lost psychologically.

- Can we say that some athletes faced strong opponents in the draw?

- Yes. There was an athlete who faced a Japanese judoka in the first match. But in any case, you have to take this into account. You will face strong players in any round anyway.