Around 300 athletes and over 50 officials from 30 countries across the globe will be participating in the World Kata Judo Championships, to be held at the University Sports Hall between October 1 and 2.

This will be the eighth edition of the championships and the second to be hosted here following the 2009 event, the first from the series.

The championships consist of different categories.

Nage No Kata and Katame No Kata introduce a series of techniques in Tachi Waza (standing) and Katame Waza (grappling). They contain all the teachings of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo.

The Ju No Kata (forms of gentleness) is designed to teach the fundamental principles of the martial art.

Joseph Muscat and Joseph Bonello will represent the Maltese Judo Federation in the Katame No Kata and Ivan Esposito and Tiziana Apap in Ju No Kata.

The other two Kata categories centre mainly on judo and self-defence.

After Jigoro Kano created judo and removed all techniques that could directly hurt the opponent, he also added a series of techniques from Jujutsu to his programme to keep the origins of his discipline.

The Kime No Kata represents the art of striking and winning over an opponent even if he/she is armed with a pointed weapon.

After many years, a new system reflecting the modern needs was required. This led to the creation of the Kodokan Goshin Jutsu format was created, a very dynamic version in comparison to Kime No Kata. It shows the use of judo when applied as self defence.

All Kata performances will be judged by five officials under the IJF Kata Commission supervision. Each judge awards points according to the technique displayed. The pair with most points are declared winners.

Draws will be made on the eve of the competition to establish groups and the order in which pairs perform. An opening ceremony will be held on October 1 prior to the first bouts.

The championships have the backing of sponsors H20, Visitmalta and SportMalta, and a group of dedicated volunteers.