Coach Unhappy With MOC Over Judo

National Coach, Judo Federation of Nigeria (JFN), Hon Bashir Musa Bassey, has frowned at the decision of the Main Organizing Committee (MOC) of the on-going 17th National Sports Festival to scrap the junior and intermediate judokas at the festival.

Hon Bassey, who spoke to Tidesports during one of the judo events at the Alfred Diette-Spiff sports Complex venue, said that the decision made by the MOC would retard the growth of the sport in the country.

He continued that sports would only retrogress, rather than progress in the nation, especially in Judo, with the new development.

Hon Bassey, who is also the executive board member, African Judo Union and Director, Judo Education and Coaches Commission in Africa, maintained that the Sport Festival was where talents were discovered and groomed ahead of other national and international engagements.

He continued that with the development, the nation’s Judo would collapse, as the excitement and prospects often associated with the junior and intermediate categories would be sorely missed.

He further explained that most of the senior judokas that were participating in the fiesta started from the grassroots and said that the standard of  judo at the Garden City Games was very poor,

“Should the senior pass their prime, there would be no one to replace them, in the history of the NSF, this is the first to exclude the junior and intermediate judokas from participation” he said.

He however, expressed satisfaction  with the standard of facilities on ground for the fiesta in Port Harcourt.

There is a great improvement, the facilities are very okay. I was  here exactly 23 years ago and today, I am here again to see a very huge improvement,” he remarked.