CHENNAI: Political turmoil notwithstanding, Chennai will host the judo nationals later this month. Slated for last December, the event had to rescheduled following the death of J Jayalalithaa.
Still to make a mark at the international level, Indian judo is striving to shed the tag of underachievers. The senior national championship for men and women from February 25-28 will be the first stop on that road.
“Initially it was to be held in December. But due to the situation after the demise of the chief minister, we thought it would be better to hold it off. So we decided on the current dates for the event,” Judo Federation of India president Mukesh Kumar told Express on Wednesday.
The state is going through fresh unrest and the political situation is anything but stable. But Kumar said everything will be done to ensure smooth conduct of the event.
“We’ve been keeping close contact with the state unit (Tamil Nadu Judo Association). They have assured us that everything will go off as planned. We’re not looking at these things, as we need to hold the nationals sooner than later. As the body that is responsible for the welfare of the sport and its athletes, we’ll work tirelessly to ensure that,”said Kumar, who was the secretary general of JFI till 2013.
The nationals will see around 25 units participate in the four-day event. Kumar noted a lot is being done to ensure that the event and sport get attention among the masses.
“We have opened eight training centres across northern India, and plan to bring that number up to 15 by the time the 2018 Asian Games comes up. That includes looking at places in the south like Chennai and Bengaluru, so that we cover the whole nation. The existing centres have a Facebook page, and updates are regularly posted regarding activities. We’re also looking to use the popularity and reach of the likes of Avtar Singh (who participated at the Rio Olympics last year) to spread the message,” he concluded.
raviiyer@newindianexpress.com