New Delhi: Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju met the members of the Indian Judo team at his residence yesterday ahead of their departure to Hungary for the Budapest Grand Slam which contributes to the Olympic qualification, to be held between October 23 and October 25. The contingent comprises of five judokas and coach Jiwan Sharma.
Mr Rijiju said, Judo is a priority sport and the government will enhance capacity both in terms of training facilities and coaches. He stressed that the idea is to extend full support to the elite athletes while building up a talent pool of young athletes who can compete in the Olympics of 2024 and 2028. He said, the Ministry will discuss a more exhaustive roadmap with the federation and plan ahead.
This will be the first tournament that the Indian judokas will be playing since the nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, which had also led to the suspension of training and international air travel. Around 645 competitors from around 81 countries will be participating in this tournament.
