Over 550 judoka took part into the IX Cadet Judo Tournament Anatoly Rakhlin Cup
The IX Cadet Judo Tournament Anatoly Rakhlin Cup was held on May 23 in St. Petersburg as part of the sports program of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum-2021 in partnership with the Rosscongress Foundation. The organizers are the "Judo Turbostroitel" Club, the Anatoly Rakhlin Judo Support and Development Fund, and the Judo Federation of St. Petersburg.
The sports part was preceded by a theatrical opening ceremony and a light show. A mini-performance dedicated to the philosophy of a flexible path in judo, mentoring and intergenerational continuity was staged at the Yubileiny Sports Palace. The key element of the production was a video film with the use of sand animation - a dedication to the coach Anatoly Rakhlin, whose name the tournament is named after. However, the most memorable and touching number of the program was the performance by the grandchildren of the legendary mentor, Diana and Misha Rakhlins, "Song of the Coach", which has long become the hallmark of the tournament.
The official part of the ceremony was opened by the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, who read out a welcoming telegram from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the tournament participants. Then, with parting words to the young athletes, Andrey Turchak, a member of the Board of Trustees of the "Turbostroitel" Judo Club, Master of Sports of the USSR in judo, addressed the young athletes.
As part of the official part, state awards were presented to five leading St. Petersburg athletes and coaches for their merits in the development of physical culture and sports, active social activities. And five more representatives of the sports school in judo named after Anatoly Rakhlin from among the administration, partners and trustees received from the hands of Alexander Beglov thanks and certificates of honor from the Governor of St. Petersburg.
Due to the current restrictions and closed borders, foreign teams were unable to attend the current tournament, as well as the previous one. But, despite this, the number of participants in the Anatoly Rakhlin Cup turned out to be high - 550 people. Children born in 2007-2008 from Moscow and the Moscow Region, Altai Territory, Karelia, Crimea, Mordovia, Kamchatka, Arkhangelsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Irkutsk, Kaluga, Leningrad, Murmansk, Perm , Pskov, Samara, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Tver, Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts and a delegation of athletes from the Donetsk People's Republic. There are 27 Russian regions in total, including St. Petersburg.
As in the previous year, judokas from St. Petersburg became the leaders in the number of won medals. They got 8 awards. In second place with 13 awards are athletes from the Moscow region. The top three are closed by representatives of the Ural Federal District with 8 medals and the North-West region with 7 awards. Athletes from the DPR, who won 5 awards, demonstrated good preparation and, as a result, a medal result.
The Anatoly Rakhlin Cup (until 2021 - the Traditional Cadet Judo Tournament in memory of the Honored Coach of Russia Anatoly Rakhlin) has been held in St. Petersburg since 2013 with the support of the City Government as a particularly significant sporting event. Throughout its history, it has become an integral part of the sports and cultural life of our city. The tournament is well known not only in Russia, but also abroad. So, in 2019, it gathered more than 700 participants from 20 countries of the world. In 2018, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin became a guest of the Rakhlin Cup.
