Judo must change direction

In Olympic year, there is some concern about the standard of the Great Britain players at the highest level. Great Britain have the chance to send seven men and seven women to Athens. Although Craig Fallon has already qualified for the U60 kilograms category, it is unlikely the full complement of competitors will be filled.

Kate Howey is expected to compete in her final Olympics in the U70s along with Georgina Singleton in the U52kgs, and Karina Bryant, who is in the +78kgs.

This is regarded as a disappointing situation and there is concern that judo could lose its lottery funding.

Many believe this is a vicious circle that applies to most Olympic sports as bodies are expected to rectify the situation on reduced funding.

The British Judo Association have already launched the Start scheme in which talented youngsters are brought together in the hope they could compete for a place in the 2012 Olympics.

Two Gloucestershire youngsters, Elaine O'Connell, 17, and Nathan Lockey, 13, have already been called up to this squad and it is hoped more talented hopefuls will join them.

"The emphasis is coming away from winning medals at open competitions and moving towards creating excellence," said Gloucestershire judo chairman Peter Salter.

"There is a concern that youngsters are marched off to opens and championships, winning a bucketful of medals, but they then give up by the time they are 16. Many youngsters find the transition from being a junior to a senior very difficult.

"By 2012, we are striving to have 14 representatives in judo for Great Britain.
"Judo has gone through a very difficult phase and we would all love to see it as a prominent sport again.

"But this is linked to success at either the Olympics or the World Championships.
"The sport certainly needs a boost similar to the one it was given when Brian Jacks was around in the 1970s and also Neil Adams, who competed during the 1970s and the 1980s.

"What a lot of people do not realise is that people who do judo need to be athletes, it is not the ideal sport to become athletes.
"You must have a good fitness level to have a chance of becoming a player."