CHENNAI: In its bid to select teams for the 2022 National Games, the Judo Federation of India (JFI) is going to organise senior national championships after three years. The last nationals were held in the 2018-19 financial year. The 2022-23 championships will be held at KD Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) from August 16 to 20. All the affiliated units including 30 state associations have been asked to select judokas in seven weight categories each in men and women section for the nationals.
Gujarat is hosting the National Games from September 27 to October 10. It will be held in six cities — Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar."I would like to inform you that as resolved in the General Body Meeting of the JFI held on 25th July 2022 in New Delhi, the Senior National Judo Championships – 2022-23 will be held from 16th to 20th August 2022 at KD Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Since the last Senior National Judo Championships was held in 2019 and the National Games is scheduled from 27th September 2022, the General Body decided to hold the above National Championship on a short notice, to comply with the requirements as well as to select the Teams for the National Games 2022 Gujarat," said Justice Pankaj Naqvi (retd), JFI's administrator, in a circular posted on the JFI's website.
Speaking on the proposed championships, Munawar Anzar, chief executive officer of Uttar Pradesh Judo Association and secretary of the organising committee, said, "Top 15 judokas in each weight category will be selected for the National Games. Besides, a judoka from the host state (Gujarat) will also be picked in the weight category if he/she doesn't finish in the top 15." Besides, seven top teams from the overall medal tally will also be selected for the team events at the Gujarat Games."The competition will begin on August 17. For the first time, we will be providing air-conditioned rooms to the judokas, coaches and officials from each participating unit," added Anzar.
It is learnt that judoka Jasleen Singh Saini, who represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, can represent his state, Punjab, in the event. He along with Harshdeep Singh Brar and Divyanshupuri were suspended from competing in national and international events for alleged misconduct ahead of the CWG. An inquiry was also initiated to probe the role of these judokas in the incident, which happened in Spain. However, Saini was later granted relief by the High Court of Delhi following which he competed in the -66kg weight category in Birmingham. India won three medals — two silver and one bronze — at the quadrennial event.