Jerusalem, Dec 8 (IANS): The 2024 Tel Aviv Grand Slam judo tournament, originally scheduled to begin on February 15, has been postponed due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the Israel Judo Association said on Thursday.

"The decision to postpone the event was made to prioritize the safety and security of our entire judo family," the International Judo Federation (IJF) explained, reports Xinhua.

The three-day annual competition, part of the IJF World Tour has been taking place in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv since 2021.

It was supposed to be the second in the Grand Slam series in 2024 following the Paris tournament scheduled for early February.

In the 2023 edition of the Tel Aviv event, held in February, 398 athletes from 52 countries and regions participated, with seven weight categories for each gender.

France then topped the tally, with three gold, one silver and one bronze medal, followed by Canada, Israel, Georgia and Azerbaijan.