Krisztian Toth, 32, a World silver and Olympic bronze medalist, has been elected President of the Hungarian Judo Association.
There were two other contenders: Balogh Levente and Csizmadia Zoltán. But Toth was the overwhelming winner with about 70% of the votes cast his way.
Toth is one of Hungary’s most successful judokas. Besides his World and Olympic achievements, he has eight IJF World Tour gold medals.
Recognition of his achievements has come in many forms. In 2021, he received the Hungarian Cross of Merit, and in 2024 he was selected to be flagbearer for Hungary at the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Toth had campaigned on his experience as an elite athlete and his academic background in coaching, which he said prepared him for a future role in sports administration. He has a coaching degree from the Hungarian University of Sports Science in Budapest.
He stressed the importance of not only supporting elite athletes but also widening the foundations of the sport by investing in youth development, recruitment, infrastructure and athlete pathways.
Alongside supporting smaller clubs, kata and recreational judo, he advocated for stronger connections between grassroots and elite sport to ensure talented young athletes are not lost within the system.
