Commonwealth Judo Association signs MOU with the International Judo Federation

The Commonwealth Judo Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Judo Federation on 6 February 2016 in Paris France on the occasion of the IJF Paris Grand Slam, a key qualifying event for athletes vying for selection and seeding at the Rio Olympic Games.

The CJA voted at its Congress in Glasgow 2014 to pursue a closer relationship with the IJF, with much of the negotiation led by CJA Vice President Envic Galea.

The agreement will see the two organisations work closer together to the benefit of judo in the Commonwealth nations.

The CJA was founded in 1986, to promote judo activity in the Commonwealth as judo was a discretionary sport in the Commonwealth Games, and after 1986 only appeared on the Games programme in Auckland 1990, Manchester 2002 and Glasgow 2014. During that period the CJA organised 11 editions of the Commonwealth Judo Championships.  At the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Auckland in September 2015, judo finally joined the list of compulsory sports commencing with the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Durban. In 2017 the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas will also see judo on the programme, and this year, April 2016, the Commonwealth Judo Championships will be staged on the African continent for the first time in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Representing the CJA at the historic signing were President Richard Kenney (SCO) and Vice Presidents Dr Richard Briggs (NIR), and Envic Galea (MLT).

IJF President Marius Vizer said “It is a great honour and pleasure to sign this MoU to be part of the Commonwealth Sports Movement and is a chance to explore our sport at the Commonwealth Games and across the Commonwealth countries, I believe we can offer mutual benefits to the IJF and CJA and I look forward to a successful collaboration.”

CJA President Richard Kenney said ““Mr Vizer, all members of the judo family, I have been Executive President of the CJA for two years and in that time I have greatly admired the work of the IJF who I see as the leading international sports federation in the world, with the technical expertise of the IJF and the support of the judo family we wish to promote judo right across the Commonwealth.”

Thanks to David Finch of www.judophotos.com for the images.