Commonwealth Games: Nigeria Judo Federation trials get date

By Ifeanyi Eduzor
Ahead of the forth coming Brinmghan Commonwealth Games, Nigeria Judo Federation has concluded plans to organise a national open trials to select the best athletes that will represent the country at the championship.
The trials according to the President of the Federation Dr. Musa Oshodi said the trials will hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos from February 22-25 and will attract about 300 judokas from 36 states of the Federation including the Military, Paramilitary and clubs who will be slugging it out in seven weight categories for both men and women.
He announced that to ensure a hitch free trials, the Federation has set up a Local Organising Committee headed by the Vice President, Mrs. Loveth Howel.
The President further explained that apart from the trials providing a platform to raise a formidable team to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games holding in Brinmghan, United Kingdom from July 28- August 8, 2022, the trials will also herald a new suspension in Nigerian judo.
” You will agree with me that Nigerian judo has been in the doldrum for more than a decade. You all will recall that in the not-too- distant past, Nigerian judo was part of the big league on the world stage.Then our judokas ruled both Africa and the Commonwealth and even held their own in the world stage but lately the country vanished from the international arena.
” For a country that at a time produced African and Commonwealth champions and one of the best judokas in the world to have failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the Olympics is a sad commentary on the state of affairs of our sport. But the good news is that the narrative has changed.
“Its interesting to note that for the first time in 50 years, Nigeria Judo Federation got a judoka as its President courtesy of the last Federation election and today we’ve a board of only judokas, except for two members who though are not judokas , yet are very zealous and passionate about the sport and we can not afford to fail.
Oshodi also applauded the Sports Ministry and the Lagos State Government including their partners for their support.