Team GB has today announced 9 GB judoka as part of a 39-strong team to compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Maribor, Slovenia this summer.

Maribor will welcome over 3,000 athletes from 48 countries for the 17^th edition of the summer EYOF which runs from 23-29 July.

Eleven Olympic sports make up the programme: artistic gymnastics, athletics, handball, judo, road cycling, swimming, tennis and volleyball, with mountain bike, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball featuring for the first time at an EYOF. Team GB will be represented in five sports: artistic gymnastics, judo, mountain bike, road cycling and swimming.

EYOFs play a vital role in providing aspiring young Olympians with a fantastic multi-sport experience and the 39 athletes selected to compete in Maribor will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Team GB EYOF alumni including Dina Asher-Smith (Trabzon 2011), Nile Wilson (Utrecht 2013), Duncan Scott (Utrecht 2013) and Tom Pidcock (Tbilisi 2015) who went from EYOF podium to medal success at the Olympic Games.

Georgina Harland, MBE, Team GB’s Chef de Mission, said: “Being selected to represent Team GB is a very special moment, and I am sure that the 39 young athletes selected to take part in this summer’s EYOF will grab this exciting opportunity and use it as an important steppingstone in their future sporting careers.

“Maribor is set to be a fantastic event and I look forward to watching all of the athletes competing to the best of their ability in July.”

Chloe Link, said: “It feels amazing to be selected, I’ve been wanting this for ages. As soon as I heard that the European Youth Olympics were an option, my goal was immediately set on it. I want to put in a good performance, to win all of my fights and really soak up the experience, as it will give me a good feel for the senior Olympics for when I’m older.”

At the last summer’s EYOF in Banská Bystrica in 2022, Team GB claimed fourth place in the medal table with a total of 18 medals, including 7 golds.

Team GB Judo squad at Maribor 2023:

Male:

-55kg Jesse Chraniuk (High Wycombe Judo Centre)

-60kg Ross McWatt (Garioch Judo)

-66kg Irakli Goginashvili (Palavani Judo Club)

-73kg Derek Marczak (Judo Sensei London)

Female:

-44kg Eva Ewing (Sportif)

-48kg Amelia Alder (Judo Club Osaka)

-52kg Lola Hodson (Dragons Judo Academy)

-57kg Chloe Link (Relentless Judo)

-70kg Julia Marczak (Judo Sensei London)

Watch out for further news from British Judo by checking out our latest news section. You can also catch up via our official social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.