Havana - The Pan American Championship of Judo will be held in Havana from April 28 to 30, with the participation of 196 judokas from 25 countries of the continent, as confirmed by the Cuban Judo Federation, organizer of the event, in a press release Tuesday.

Brazil, Canada,Mexico, US and Argentina, with 18 representartives each, will be the foreign nations with a bigger presence.

Stars like Olympic and World Champion in the 78 kilograms, Kayla Harrison (USA), who is aldo leader of the world ranking, the three-time World Champion in the 70 kg, Yuri Alvear (Colombia), Argentinean Paula Pareto, Champion of the world in 48 kg and Cuban Idalys Ortiz, Champion of the world and Olympic Champ in the 0ver 78 kg category, will be in the tournament.

The men's competition will see stars such as Asley Gonzalez (90 kg), Jose Armenteros (100 kg) from Cuba, Antoine Valois-Fortier (Canada, 81 kg), Travis Stevens (81 kg), Brazilian Felipe Kitadai (60), Victor Peñalver (81), Luciano Correa (100), Rafael Silva and David Moura (over 100) in action.

Cuba will compete with Dayaris Mestre (48) and Maricet Espinosa (63) on women and Magdiel Estrada (73) and Alex García (more than 100) between the men, four judocas with good positions in the world ranking, clasifying for the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro in August.

Also appearing there are Onyx Cortes (70), Yalennis Castillo (78) and Iván Silva, who could enter the groups privileged to the summer appointment in accordance with its results in the contest.

Completing the payroll, Melissa Hurtado (48), Gretel Romero (52), Anailis Dorvigni (57), Kaliema Antomarchi (78), Yandry Torres (60), Carlos Tondique and Gilberto Solar (66), Jorge Martínez (81) and Andy Granda (100).

The program foresees the competitions of katá and the individuals' drawing of combats for the 28th, and dates later, the categories of 48, 52, 57 and 63 will be disputed by the females and 60, 66 and 73 by men.

On Saturday 30th they will fight in the remaining ones, 70, 78 and more than 78 of the feminine and 81, 90, 100 and over 100 of the masculine, and after, from May 2 to 4 a training camp will be carried out.

Also, Cuban national commissioner Rafael Manso announced the assistance of Austrian-Romanian origin Marius Vizer, president of the International Federation of Judo.