On March 9, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will welcome the 25th Annual New York Open Judo Championship to the New York Athletic Club. Widely regarded as one of the premier judo tournaments in the country, this prestigious event is expected to draw some of the top judoists from around the world. Competition will begin at 7:30am, with the final round scheduled to commence at approximately 4:30pm.

"This year's New York Open Judo Championship marks the 25th anniversary of this world-class competition," said Commissioner Podziba. "I commend all those who have been so instrumental in enabling this spectacular event to thrive in the Big Apple for the past quarter century. What makes this event so unique is that judo enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to see the world's best judoists in an intimate setting at the New York Athletic Club."

The New York Open Judo Championship is an international "B" level men's tournament, sanctioned by USA Judo. Competitions will be held in seven different weight classes - 132, 145, 161, 178, 198, 220, and 220+ lbs. - with first-place winners each receiving a $1,000 prize purse. The tournament is expected to attract competitors from countries such as Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, USA and Uzbekistan.

"The New York Open has achieved the rating of a 'B' level elite athlete event, which is the second highest rating in the world for a Judo Championship," said Dr. Mel Appelbaum, Tournament Director. "The event is a World and Olympic point competition where athletes can accumulate points to improve their world ranking, and in an Olympic year, we look forward to an outstanding event with excitement and intensity as the athletes from all over the world compete to become a New York Open Champion."

Notable American athletes competing in this year's tournament will include defending New York Open champion (81Kg) and five-time Pan-Am Games medalist Aaron Cohen as well as 2007 USA Judo Senior National Championship gold medalist Travis Stevens. Also competing will be 2004 USA Judo Senior National Championship gold medalist Chuck Jefferson. The New York Open Judo Championship will serve as a prime warm-up event for judoists preparing for the US Judo Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas this coming June.

The New York Open Judo Championship will take place at the New York Athletic Club, located at 180 Central Park South (corner of 59th St. and 7th Avenue) on the 6th floor. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.

For more information about the New York Open Judo Championship, please visit their website at www.newyorkopenjudo.com.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. The Sports Commission has played an integral role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.