The international judo federation paid back the fee for the canceled 2021 World Cup in Vienna in full.
The Austrian Judo Association can tick off the chapter about paying two million euros as a license fee for the 2021 World Cup in Vienna, which was finally canceled. According to the ÖJV announcement on Tuesday, the new association management under President Martin Poiger achieved full repayment of the amount by the world association in lengthy negotiations. This sum was paid from the federal government's sports budget, the refund now does not affect the association's budget.
Austria's Judo President Martin Poiger can be pleased that a legacy has been removed
Two million to the ministry
“Since the World Cup was canceled, the Ministry of Sports has asked for reimbursement. If we had had to pay this amount from the association's budget, we would have faced financial bottlenecks for several years,” explained Poiger. The ÖJV boss thanked the world association president Marius Vizer – he is a native Romanian with residence in Vienna and Budapest and citizenship in Austria – for the courtesy. “From a purely legal point of view, the IJF would not have been obliged to make a full repayment,” said Poiger, speaking of an early Christmas present. The two million were immediately transferred to the Ministry of Sports.
Legacy of the Strache era
The turbulence around the Vienna World Cup had led to new elections for the ÖJV presidium. Poiger was elected to succeed Hans Paul Kutschera. The Ministry of Sports under the then Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache took over a third of the IJF license fee of six million after the 2018 World Cup was awarded. When the second installment was not paid, the world federation withdrew the World Cup from the ÖJV in October 2019, which was ultimately held in Budapest.
