Published on: 2026-10-26
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The annual republican judo tournament for boys and girls under 18 years old, sponsored by PJSC KAMAZ, was held in Naberezhnye Chelny. The competition, dedicated to two dates – the 400th anniversary of the Motor City and the 50th anniversary of the release of the first KAMAZ vehicle – gathered a record number of participants.
During the tournament opening ceremony, welcoming words to the athletes on behalf of the General Director of PJSC KAMAZ were delivered by the Chairman of the Auto Giant’s Trade Union Committee, Ildar Shamilov. Farid Salakhov, head of the executive committee of Naberezhnye Chelny, addressing the participants, noted that the people who built Naberezhnye Chelny and KAMAZ possessed the same qualities that characterize a judoka: the ability to fight and achieve goals, respect opponents, and help each other.
“The tournament has already become a tradition on the land of Naberezhnye Chelny. Many athletes who later achieved the highest results have participated in it over the years. Niyaz Bilalov, a graduate of the Naberezhnye Chelny judo school, won the bronze medal at the World Championship in Baku, setting a benchmark for young judokas. I hope this medal will not be Niyaz’s last. I want to thank the Rais of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, who has put a lot of effort into the development of judo in the region, as well as the head of KAMAZ, Sergey Kogogin: without his support, no sporting event takes place in this city. Thank you for supporting sports from our Federation.”, – in turn said President of the Judo Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan Pavel Nikolaev.
This year, a record number of athletes competed for victory: 376 participants from 32 teams. In addition to the youth tournament, a real spectacle for the numerous spectators was the traditional showdown between the veterans’ team – masters of sport – and the youth team in the “All Stars of Tatarstan” tournament. This time, the challenge cup went to the veterans’ team.
Recall that the first all-Union judo tournament for the “KAMAZ Prizes” took place in 1978. It was organized by the legendary KAMAZ coach Mikhail Klimov. For fifteen years, the most promising young judo athletes of the Soviet Union gathered in Naberezhnye Chelny. There were years when representatives from all fifteen Union republics participated in the tournament. The prestige of the tournament was very high and it was considered the unofficial national championship. By coincidence, the tournament was not held from 1992 to 2001. After a ten-year break, since 2002, with the support of PJSC “KAMAZ” and personally its CEO Sergey Kogogin, the celebration of this popular Olympic sport has been held again in Naberezhnye Chelny.
Over the years, the tournament for the “KAMAZ” prizes has been attended by Olympic champion Nazim Guseynov, 2004 Olympic Games medalist Vitaly Makarov, judo world champion Nikolay Ozhogin, multiple European champion Dmitry Morozov. Contributions to the development of the tournament were made by Chelny residents: 2001 Russian absolute judo champion Sergey Alekhanov, winners of USSR and Russian championships – Lenar Gayneev, Viktor Ponomarev, Sergey Kapustin, Andrey Bazhitov, Bogdan Okhotnikov, Vladislav Azovtsev, and many others.
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