WELSH INSTITUTE OF SPORT TO HOST NATIONAL JUDO FACILITY

A dedicated facility designed to cultivate the judo talents of the future is set to be established at the Welsh Institute of Sport (WIS) in Cardiff.

The National Dojo will be available all day and every day to squads of all ages and abilities and provide vital mat space for local clubs. Its introduction will also ensure that it meets the needs of Wales’ elite judo players and gives them access to high levels of coaching to give them the best possible opportunity to fulfil their future potential.

The Welsh Judo Association (WJA) has for many years advocated establishing a dedicated, permanent training facility in Wales. In particular, Neil Adams MBE, the Welsh National Coach, had stated that a dedicated base is essential for the development of the sport.

In response to the WJA’s long-standing lobby, the Sports Council for Wales’ Council members have taken the decision to invest into the future of this priority sport by converting the swimming pool at the WIS into a dedicated dojo facility.

And as Adams looks to hone the talents of his current crop of players into the medallists of the future, he has welcomed the announcement with great enthusiasm.

Widely touted as one of the most acclaimed technical fighters ever produced by the sport, Adams’ most notable achievements include Olympic silver medals in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. He was recruited to Welsh Judo in March 2006. He said:

“Judo is one of the most successful sports in Wales - and in the UK as a whole.

“When I first took on the role at Welsh Judo, the focus was very much on developing the top five or six judo players in Wales. Very little attention was given to the potential athletes - the ones that are likely to feature in the London 2012 Games for example. And that was a key factor in my job description – to bring the talent through, and we’re starting to do that.

“But to do so effectively, it’s absolutely essential that we have a dedicated facility for judo in Wales. It is the difference between division one and division two and we need the facilities to help us reach that upper platform”

“Having a dojo in Wales will provide Welsh Judo and its members with an identity and the mentality to succeed. I see no reason why our athletes should have to travel to England, or even further afield, to train at the highest levels when we should have the opportunity to make proper use of the fantastic coaching structure we already have in place here in Wales.

“Having a dedicated dojo in Wales will make a massive difference when it comes to building up a talent academy and establishing links with clubs and universities in Wales – and it is the only way that we can ensure that Wales can continue to perform at the highest level in the sport.”

Wales returned home from the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 with six judo medals. Visibly absent from the schedules in Melbourne in 2006 and again in Delhi in 2010, judo will make a welcome return to the Commonwealth Games programme in Glasgow in 2014.

The 2007 UK School Games also proved fruitful as Wales’ youngest crop of boy and girl judo players secured five medals – two of which were gold – in the various weight categories on show at the Coventry spectacle in August.”

With the opening of the magnificent new 50m pool and 25m training pool in Cardiff Bay now imminent, Sports Council for Wales (SCW) officers have recently been considering converting the WIS swimming pool into a national dojo.

Cardiff currently has better provision for swimming per capita than any other part of Wales and there are over 140 swimming pools in Wales as a whole. However, there is currently no dedicated facility for judo.

The WIS swimming pool requires significant refurbishment, however it is estimated that the pool could be converted into a judo dojo for approximately the same cost.

Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling said:

“The SCW continually considers the specialist facility needs of national governing bodies of sport to see what changes need to be made to our facilities in order that the Institute remains at the forefront of world class provision. 

“Work on the dojo is expected to begin early in the next financial year and we are assured that its creation will help foster the environment that has helped generate the success that Wales has seen in the sport over recent years, as well as help cultivate the talents of our medal prospects of the future.”