Judo Federation of India sends cadet and junior teams to Jordan despite security risks

Despite concerns raised regarding security amidst the ongoing conflict in the region, the Judo Federation of India (JFI) has sent its teams for the 2026 Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championships in Amman, Jordan.

India has sent 18 cadet judokas (under-18 age), and 16 junior judokas (under-21 age) along with seven officials for the competition. According to the team's itinerary, the cadet team is already in Jordan and the junior team left in the early hours of Thursday.

The team's travel comes at a time of fresh military strikes involving the United States and Iran, raising concerns over the security situation in the region.

Just on Thursday morning, Jordan confirmed to having intercepted as many as eight Iranian ballistic missiles targeting the country.

The Bridge has learnt that concerns were raised within the Indian coaching setup over sending the contingent to Jordan amid the volatile geopolitical situation in West Asia.

Emails citing the concerns were sent to the Sports Ministry requesting a review of India’s participation.

In one such email, accessed by this publication, concerns were raised over the "rapidly evolving security situation" in the region.

The email also stated that Jordan has remained on high alert and that several international travel advisories continue to caution travellers because of the possibility of further escalation.

"Recent military developments have significantly heightened security concerns across the Gulf region, with Jordan periodically intercepting projectiles entering its airspace," the email read.

"A substantial number of athletes representing India in these championships are below 18 years. As minors, they deserve the highest level of protection and care," it added.

The email urged the Sports Ministry to assess the security situation before allowing the team to travel.

"The safety and well-being of our young athletes must remain the foremost priority. Sporting success can always be pursued at a later date, but the lives and security of our athletes cannot be compromised," the letter noted.

However, defending its decision, JFI's newly-elected Secretary General Banee Brata Das said the situation was under control when the federation decided to send the team to Jordan and that the team is safe.

"When we planned the event, that time there was no issue. Now it has only started. The team is safe. Everything was alright, and we had not received any red flags from the government," Das confirmed.

The JFI underwent its elections on June 8 this year.

Earlier, 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Tulika Mann had expressed disappointment after its highly anticipated exposure camp in Japan for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was called off at the last minute following a leadership change in the Judo Federation of India.

The Asian Cadet Championships is being held from July 16-17, while the Asian Junior Championships is scheduled to be held on July 18-19.

The tournament features over 170 judoka from 20 nations across men’s and women’s weight classes, but several leading judo nations, including Japan, China and South Korea, have opted to skip the competition.