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Judo throws down the gauntlet
23/06/2009
Investment of over £414,000 to further develop the sport ahead of its return to the Commonwealth Games programme in Glasgow in 2014 has been announced by sportscotland.
Two of Britain's top judoka, Olympians Sarah Clark and Euan Burton, were training at judo's National Training Centre in Edinburgh today. The National Training Centre was used as a training camp venue by Team GB in the build up to the Beijing Olympics. JudoScotland is keen to ensure that the significant contribution it makes to the sport at the highest level continues to be recognized by British Judo, the UK governing body of the sport.
While judo is a regular fixture on the Olympic programme, it will make only its third appearance at the Commonwealth Games when the Games come to Glasgow in 2014. Judo featured in Auckland in 1990 and Manchester in 2002 where Scotland's high performance coach, Graham Randall won gold in the -81kg category and contributed to an amazing judo medal tally of 10.
JudoScotland is embarking on the first year of their new six year strategic plan. It has identified increasing participation and coach education as two key areas of development required to grow the sport and sportscotland investment has been awarded to assist them in these areas.
Part of JudoScotland's vision for the future is to encourage participation in the sport at junior level. A new scheme will see every nine and ten year old primary school child offered the opportunity to experience this exciting sport, providing a different way of getting children physically active, an alternative to the traditional team sports and hopefully inspiring another generation of judoka.
Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland said; "Scotland has a fantastic record in delivering medals in judo at major events and sportscotland is delighted to announce this investment of £414,940 to support JudoScotland to continue this trend.
"As the national agency for sport, our aim is to provide more and better opportunities for participation and performance at the highest level.
JudoScotland has put together an ambitious development plan to ensure that judo delivers on those targets and I look forward to seeing the results when our judoka take to the mat in 2014."
JudoScotland has a good reputation in coach development and the introduction and retention of home grown coaches and officials. As active participants in the UKCC programme, JudoScotland is providing their coaches with the best possible education and training to ensure that Scotland keeps delivering when it counts.
Also on the coaching front, sportscotland's investment will enable the appointment of a talent development coach to work with athletes from 12-19 years of age as they set out on their competitive careers. This new post will provide much need professional support for the important first rung on the performance ladder and will feed athletes into the performance development and performance delivery squads managed by Graeme Randall and his two assistant high performance coaches in the sportscotland institute of sport.
Sports Minister Shona Robison said: "Giving every nine and 10 year old in Scotland the chance to experience judo is a great way to encourage more young people to enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity. This Government is committed to supporting and developing our athletes through sportscotland. The funding announced today will help judo in Scotland continue to succeed at the highest levels by building on the work that is already being done to provide coaching expertise, engage with young people and inspire them to lead active, healthy lives."
Jim Feenan, Chairman of JudoScotland welcomed today's announcement saying: "The overall package of investment offered by sportscotland will be warmly welcomed by judoka across Scotland. We believe that the support received has the potential to benefit all those participating within the sport and will enable us to encourage more young Scots to give judo a try."
Douglas Bryce, Chief Executive Officer added: "In particular, the support services offered to our performance athletes through the sportscotland institute of sport is most welcome, as the work of preparing for the London Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014 gets underway."
In 2007-08 sportscotland invested over £11.5 million in 59 sports governing bodies.
The £414,940 investment in JudoScotland is made up of £229,200 of sportscotland funding from the Scottish Government and £185,740 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund.
In addition, judo benefits from approximately £200,000 per annum of investment through the sportscotland institute of sport.
The World Championship will take place in Rotterdam, August 26-30, 2009.