More than 100 young judokas, aged between four and 14, were on the mat at the sports complex of the St Aloysius College last weekend to compete in a ranking tournament, organised by the Malta Judo Federation.

Those from the younger class put on a demonstration of skills to those present while the 10- and 11-year olds figured in their first competitions. The Espoir (12-14 years) were also in action on the day as the tournament adopted a new set of rules, introduced worldwide to make the sport more spectacular.

For the occasion, the Maltese federation invited top official Massimo Sulli to update the Maltese referees and athletes on the new regulations.

Sulli has an extensive CV on and off the mat. He was first at the 1991 Mediterranean Games and took part in various European and World Championships. At the 1992 Olympics, he finished ninth in his category. He was among the team of officials for the World Championships and World Masters on various occasions.

During the meeting, those present were also addressed by Malta Judo Federation Refereeing Director John Zammit and a mini-tournament was held in conjunction with the seminar for athletes and officials to test the new rules during action.

In its build-up for the 2011 European Cadet Championships in Malta, the federation is also putting greater emphasis on its technical sector. Sports Director Alex Bezzina and Zammit have just conducted a two-day course for Maltese coaches during which the grading techniques were explained in detail.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Saywell and Isaac Bezzina are set to represent Malta at the Trofeo Judo Umbria, in Italy, and an international training camp in Bremen, Germany.

The federation is also gearing up for its annual Malta International Open due to be held on April 10 and 11 at St Aloysius.