Ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games trial scheduled for Lagos next week, the President of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) Musa Oshodi has assured that the lost glory of the sport would be restored under the new board.
Speaking at the press briefing to herald the commencement of the trial between February 22 at 25 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun in Lagos, the NJF President said every judoka across the country would be given an equal chance to make the team as the trial would serve as the first phase of selection for the country’s contingent to Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“Over 300 judokas from the 36 states of the federation, Abuja, the military, the paramilitary and clubs will participate in the trials which will feature seven weight categories each for men and women,” he said. “Apart from providing a platform to raise a formidable squad which will represent Nigeria in the Commonwealth Games holding in Birmingham, the trials will also herald the new dispensation in Nigerian judo.”
He continued: “You will agree with me that Nigerian Judo has been in the doldrums for more than a decade. You all will recall that in the not-too-distant past, Nigerian judo used to be part of the big league on the world stage. Then our judokas ruled Africa, they ruled the Commonwealth and even held their own in the world.”
He further said: “For a country that at a time produced African champions, Commonwealth champions and one of the best judokas in the world to have failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the Olympic Games is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in our sport. But the good news today is that the narrative has changed.”
He lauded the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu through the Lagos State Sports Commission for accepting to host the trial while calling on corporate bodies to rally around the sport.