The Nigeria Judo Federation is staging a two day trial in Abuja to raise a team capable of winning laurels at the 11th All Africa Games billed for Congo Brazzaville.
The event scheduled for July 2 to July 5 will take place at the Civil Defence Academy, Sauka near Abuja.
The decision to stage the trials was taken at the end of the executive board meeting in Abuja last week.
The President of the NJF, Musa Oshodi ,who presided over the meeting told sport writers that the trials were necessary “to enable the federation raise a crack team that can face any opposition during the continental Games”.
“The desire of the federation is to storm the Games with judokas that can win medals for the country.
“So we need to have the trials to get the very best of judokas who the country can be proud of,” Mr. Oshodi stressed.
The judokas who excel at the trials, the federation boss further informed, would be invited to camp for the final countdown to the continental showpiece.
Mr. Oshodi said there was no time to waste in the build-up to the ames.
According to him “We have just a few weeks to the Games which will take place between September 4 to 19. So there is no time to waste in our preparation”.
Immediately after the trials, we will open the camp for intensive preparation”.
Mr. Oshodi expressed optimism that Nigerian judokas would prove their mettle at the games.
“The country is blessed with fine judokas who can contend with the continent’s best with the right preparation,” the NJF helmsman said.
The trials will feature men and women judokas in all the weight categories. According to the guidelines of the trials,only judokas with valid licence are eligible to contest.
In addition, the judoka must not be less than 18 years in August. Athletes’ representative on the NJF board, Mr Segun Gbayi said the trials were necessary to know the current form of the judokas and put together the “very best that we have in the country’.
He said the All Africa Games would have on parade the very best on the continent adding that “Nigeria cannot afford to go there with a second rate squad”.
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