Following the European Judo Championships held in Montenegro, a gala night was organized to celebrate the event.

According to Offsideplus.az, during the ceremony, Europe's best judokas and sports figures of 2024 were honored based on the year's achievements.

Hidayat Heydarov, a proud representative of Azerbaijani judo, Paris 2024 Olympic champion, and World and European champion, was awarded for his outstanding success. Our judoka was named the “Best Male Judoka of the Year.” The prestigious award was presented to him by the President of the European Judo Union (EJU), Laszlo Toth.

During the award ceremony, Hidayat Heydarov was specially recognized for his excellent results, victories on the international stage, and his contributions to promoting judo across Europe.

According to the EJU’s statement, Hidayat Heydarov has been a European and World champion since his youth, and in 2024, he achieved the incredible feat of becoming a four-time European champion, as well as World and Olympic champion — a rare accomplishment within a single year.

The "Best Male Coach of the Year" award was presented to Richard Trautmann, head coach and performance director of the Azerbaijani national team. It was noted that under Trautmann’s leadership, Azerbaijan achieved two European, two World, and two Olympic titles in 2024, marking a remarkable year of success.