Cuba's women's judo squad heads to World Combat Games

HAVANA, Oct. 16  -- Cuba's five-member women's judo team traveled to Russia Wednesday, where it will compete in the 2nd World Combat Games from Oct. 18 to 26 in St. Petersburg, the National Information Agency (AIN) reported.

The squad is headed by Idalis Ortiz (+78 kg), gold medal winner of the 2012 London Olympic Games and winner of the 2013 Rio de Janeiro world championships.

Ortiz is joined by Olympic silver medalist Yanet Bermoy (52), Anailys Dorvigny (57), Maricet Espinosa (63) and Onix Cortes (70), under the guidance of coach Ismael Bourbon.

Cuba's team, scheduled to hit the tatami on Saturday, is one of only eight invited by the International Judo Federation to compete in the Combat Games, due to its bronze medal win at the World Team Championships in Salvador, Brazil.

The other nations competing in the multi-sport event are Japan, China, Brazil, Russia, Mongolia, France and South Korea.

Cuba has no men's team competing in the event, unlike most of the other seven countries, whose men's squads compete on Sunday 20.

In addition to its judo squad, Cuba has three boxers competing in the games: super heavyweight Jose Angel Larduet (world bronze in Milan 2009), featherweight Marcos Forestal and light welterweight Ivan Onate.

The first World Combat Games were held in China in 2010.


The event, which features 13 martial arts, and Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines, is organized by SportAccord, an international organization that gathers 119 sports-related federations, organizations and associations.