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The British Judo Association
is delighted to announce that, for the first time ever, the 2011
International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Judo European Championships
will be held in Great Britain.
The event, which is supported
by UK Sport, will be the most prestigious visually impaired event
hosted by the British Judo Association.
Esther Nicholls, Event
Consultant for UK Sport, said: “UK Sport is committed to bringing
world class sporting events to the UK ahead of 2012, in what we
believe is the most comprehensive pre- Games events programme
ever staged by an Olympic and Paralympic host nation.
"The IBSA European Judo Championships will provide an invaluable
opportunity for British players to experience international competition
on home soil just before the 2012 Paralympic Games. The event
also provides us with the opportunity to hone the skills of key
officials and to train volunteers, which is vital for building
capacity within the sport to host events in the future.”
The event will take
place from 17th-20th November 2011 at K2 Crawley, just nine months
out from the London 2012 Paralympic Games and is expected to attract
judoka from all over Europe.
After being approached
by IBSA for the opportunity to bid to host the Championships,
Great Britain was picked as the host nation, beating a strong
rival bid from France. The IBSA committee cited Britain’s ability
to host such an event and the strong link to London 2012 will
undoubtedly appeal to Europe’s finest judoka.
British Judo Events Manager,
Emma Taylor said, “This event will be new for us. We have never
run such a prestigious VI event before and we are excited to be
involved and showcase the top VI judoka ahead of 2012.
“It is a fantastic opportunity
for the BJA Events Team to host a new event for 2011 and we are
currently at the early stages of marketing the event to the judo
nations.”
In 2009, the British Team
picked up its best results at the Europeans ever, winning four
medals. The British squad will be out in force again, this time
on home soil, vying for medals in their respective weight categories.
K2 Crawley, one of the
country's flag-ship leisure centres, is operated by Freedom Leisure
on behalf of Crawley Borough Council.
Freedom Leisure is the
leading not-for-profit leisure trust in the south east of England,
managing 23 leisure and fitness centres that host both national
and international sporting events.
Jeff Heart Managing Director
said, “Freedom Leisure is delighted that K2 Crawley has been chosen
to host the 2011 IBSA European Judo Championships.
“We look forward to welcoming
the athletes and providing them with a world-class venue in which
to compete."
Check out this teaser
video from the 2009 European Championships here.
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