Inspire Institute of Sport & Judo Federation of India partner to develop Judo in India

Under the terms of the agreement, IIS will provide access to its state-of-the-art campus in Bellary, Karnataka, and sports science expertise for identified cadet, junior and elite Indian judokas, besides hosting the Indian teams across age-categories at the facility for national camps. The Institute will also work together with the JFI to identify and scout talented judokas from across the country, who would be inducted into the IIS Judo Program on full scholarships.

Besides, the JFI will also conduct International Judo Federation (IJF) Academy Level-1 and Level-2 courses at the facility to help develop the sport further in the country.

Speaking during the contract signing and handover in Mumbai, Parth Jindal, Founder of the Inspire Institute of Sport, said, "The IIS Judo Program has achieved tremendous success over the past few years, which has made us confident about the inherent talent and potential in our country for the sport. Judo is a popular global sport and we are committed to work with the JFI to develop and professionalize the ecosystem for the sport in India. With 60 medals on offer at the Olympics, we believe that with this partnership, India can genuinely compete for some of these medals at the upcoming Games in Paris and Los Angeles."

Echoing the sentiment, Partap Singh Bajwa, Member of Parliament and President- Judo Federation of India, said, "We are very pleased to have IIS come on board as High Performance Partner for the JFI. The sport of Judo has a bright future in India having been recognized as a priority sport by the Government. With the help of partnerships with organisations such as IIS, we are optimistic about the development of the sport in India and the country's chances at upcoming multi-sports events and IJF events."

The IIS Judo Program, led by Georgian Head Coach Mamuka Kizilashvili and Dronacharya Awardee Jiwan Sharma, has groomed over 70 judokas since 2017, who have returned with 101 medals at the National, Continental and International levels. Thangjam Tababi Devi, who won a silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina in 2018, is also a product of the institute.

With the institute contributing a majority of Team India judokas in recent events including Sushila Devi - India's lone judoka at Tokyo 2020 - IIS is building a strong assembly line of cadet and junior athletes who could lead India's charge in the sport in the near future.
Spread over 42-acres in Bellary, Karnataka, IIS is the country's foremost High Performance Training Centre for Olympic sports. The Institute is recognized as a National Centre of Excellence, is a Khelo India accredited academy and has an existing High-Performance Partnership with the Boxing Federation of India.