Private entities step in to help judokas participate in Jr Worlds

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has decided not to fund the Indian judo team’s expenses for the World Junior Judo Championship that will be held in Peru on October 2-9. Instead, they have approved the team list sent by the Judo Federation of India (JFI) at no cost to the government, meaning the team can take part in the championships but with the help of private entities like the Reliance Foundation and JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS). The JFI had sent a list of nine athletes for the Peru event but the SAI refused a full sanction because no trials were conducted to select the team.

“It may be noted that no selection trials were conducted for this event, which is not in accordance with the selection policy available on JFI’s website and the instructions issued by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) vide letter dated 05.03.2025. This concern has been repeatedly brought to the attention of JFI in advisory committee meetings, where SAI has also emphasised the need for publishing the competition calendar and updated selection policy on its website to enhance transparency,” SAI said in a statement to The Tribune on Monday.

“Further, the proposal was submitted by JFI on 17.09.2025, i.e. only 15 days prior to the Championship, despite repeated reminders to submit the same at least 45 days in advance. Such delays result in logistical difficulties, including higher expenditure on air tickets, missed booking deadlines for boarding and lodging as per the event brochure, and athletes having to divert their attention to visa processes instead of training,” it added.

The list includes Himanshi Tokas, who on Sunday became the world No. 1 judoka in the junior women’s

-63kg category. Her expenses will be borne by the Reliance Foundation. The IIS will be sending five judokas to the competition — Nungshithoi Chanu (-52kg), Linthoi Chanambam (-63kg), Taibanganbi Chanu (-70kg), Ishroop Narang (-78kg) and Sidharth Rawat (-60kg).

IIS president Manisha Malhotra stated that it was important to support the athletes in their hour of need. “Our judokas have already taken giant leaps in the sport, with Linthoi and Oliviya (Devi) winning Worlds medals in the cadet category. The next obvious milestone is a World Championships medal in the junior category, and Peru offers an excellent opportunity,” Malhotra said.

“The athletes would have suffered if it wasn’t for us being able to send them to Peru. This is why we need good administrators and professionals who can make policies to help the athletes so that such situations never arise,” she added.