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COMMONWEALTH
CHAMPION CALLS FOR HOPEFULS TO SIGN UP TO TALENT INITIATIVE
Today (11 August), Judo
Scotland and the sport scotland institute of
sport launched its search for judo talent through Gold4Glasgow.
This talent initiative was designed by the sport scotland
institute of sport, to help identify athletes with the potential
to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. The judo
talent search follows the successful Gold4Glasgow cycling event,
which took place in May this year and identified 12 female cyclists
with the potential of competing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Judo Scotland and the institute
are on the hunt for males and females across the all weight categories,
in particular focusing on females to compete in the lightweight
(under 52kg) and the heavyweight category (over 70 kg); as well
as males for the heavy weight category (over 100kg), however this
is not exclusive and individuals of all weights are encouraged
to attend.
The first Gold4Glasgow
judo event will take place at Ratho, Edinburgh on Sunday 27 September.
Following the application process, Scots aged between 17 and 30
will be invited to attend the testing event day where they will
be put through rigorous skill acquisition and cardiovascular testing.
Those who meet the requirements will then be asked back to a training
weekend for further tests.
Graeme Randall, high performance
judo manager at the sport scotland institute
of sport and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, said: “We would
encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be a successful
judo player to apply, whether they are already playing a sport,
for example rugby, gymnastics or a martial art expert already,
or are a complete novice.
“We are looking for individuals
who are driven, focused and are quick to learn. Our hope is that
these candidates will add value to the current judo programme
and work alongside some of the existing athletes. We feel
Scotland has a great chance of picking up medals in judo in 2014
and are in the process of strengthening the judo team to ensure
the athletes selected, coupled with our existing athletes, receive
the best possible support over the coming years.”
Tony Stanger, talent manager
at the sport scotland institute of sport added:
“We are delighted to now be recruiting for judo in our Gold4Glasgow
campaign, following on from the successful cycling event held
earlier in the year. This is a really exciting time for
us, unearthing young talent which we could potentially see competing
on the World stage in five years time.”
Gold4Glasgow aims to fast-track
entry and development of more Scottish athletes into existing
Scottish programmes to achieve medal success in 2014, and, where
possible, work with the UK World Class Talent Team to identify
exceptionally talented individuals who may have the potential
to join Olympic development programmes. Set up to complement existing
talent pathways, the programme aims to use innovative methods
to uncover potential competitors.
For more information about
Gold4Glasgow, the application form and the event on 27 September,
visit www.gold4glasgow.com
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