An international judo
instructor, Bashir Bassey, this week  in Abuja lamented the current poor state of the sport in the country, saying Nigerian judokas were below standard.
Bassey told newsmen that the non- participation of Nigerian athletes in major international competitions was “not good for the development of the sport’’.
The coach said that the country’s non-qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil would reduce the attention given to Nigeria by the International Judo Federation (IJF).
“Nigeria will not get the kind of attention required from the international body since we did not participate in the qualifiers for the Rio Olympics.
“If you do not participate in the qualification tournament, there is no how you can earn points to enable your participation at the Olympic Games.
“So, the non-participation of Nigeria in international tournaments is detrimental to the development of the game.
“The international body usually assists national federations based on their performance at the major competitions.
“The rating of Nigeria at the world judo ranking is very low, due to the country’s inability to participate in competitions,’’ he said.
Bassey, who is the immediate-past Director of Judo Education and Coaches Commission in Africa, also said the situation could be attributed to the country’s lack of a national coach.
“Since the retirement and subsequent death of the coach Alex Isidon in 1994, neither the National Sports Commission (NSC) nor the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) has been able to appoint a new coach.
“The federation only appoints coaches, usually from various states ahead of any international competition to assist the athletes.
“This has been affecting the technical development and standard of the sport,’’ he said.
The instructor called on sponsors to collaborate with the federation to grow the game.