However, the approval comes with a receipt of NIS 6 million worth of guarantees by the Israeli government, who must demonstrate the economic ability to host the event.
In May, the President of the European Judo Union, Sergey Soloveychik, will arrive in Israel to meet with Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev in order to finalize details.
In recent months, there have been several high-level discussions between Moshe Ponte, President of the Israel Judo Association, and Soloveychik.
Ponte was recently invited by Soloveychik to the current European Championships in Poland to learn what is required of an event of this magnitude, which is attended by 396 participants from 41 countries, not including coaching staff and trainers.
Two venues are currently being explored to hold the event, the Tel Aviv Convention Center—where the European U23 Judo Championships were held—and Pais Arena in Jerusalem.
In light of the decision, Ponte said, "We are proud and happy about the news. This is proof that U23 European Championship was conducted at the highest level, and I compliment our CEO, Guy Gur, and the entire team of the Association, and I hope that all the bureaucratic and budgetary matters will be resolved quickly so that the European Championship will be held in the best possible way. This brings pride for the sport and the State of Israel."
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)