The Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) has partnered with The Manipur Judo Association (MJA) to establish a structured athlete development pathway for Judo in the state, with the aim of enabling Indian Judokas to attain global success, according to an official release.
The collaboration between the MJA and IIS seeks to acknowledge and advance Judo as one of the top Olympic sports worldwide. By focusing on technical aspects of the sport and providing specialised programmes, the IIS intends to provide the best possible training opportunities to India’s upcoming Olympians, the release mentioned.
The MJA, located in Manipur, oversees Judo programmes and operates an academy that trains Judokas. Its responsibilities include offering aid in technical training and tournaments. Through this collaboration, coaches with years of experience will join forces to provide Indian athletes with the required support, access to proper training, and infrastructure, the release said.
“Judo is a sport seeing a lot of talent growing from Manipur. We intend to promote it as a rising and crucial Olympian sport, right from grassroots to elite training. And for this way forward, we are very pleased to partner with IIS which epitomises professional and holistic athlete development,” Soibam Indrakumar, general secretary, MJA, said.
Conducting a tournament in Manipur is a win-win situation for IIS, Rushdee Warley, CEO, Inspire Institute of Sport, said. He believes that a significant number of Judokas come from this region, making it an ideal place to organise the tournament. Additionally, he sees the tournament as a valuable opportunity for everyone at IIS to learn more about the techniques and strategies that have made the Judokas from Manipur so successful.
“The opportunity to learn more about what has made Manipur a stronghold of Judo in India is something that will allow us to further enhance our judo programme as well as create further opportunities for Judokas from the state to take up fully funded scholarships at IIS,” Warley added.