National Judo Championships begin today

KARACHI: Japan-based Olympian Shah Hussain will be seen in action when the 26th Men and 9th Women National Judo Championships begin at the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, from Tuesday (today).

The event will last till May 4. The 14 competing teams are Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK, Army, WAPDA, Railways, Police, Navy and Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Army and WAPDA will defend men’s and women’s titles, respectively. Tokyo-based Amina Toyoda will also feature in the competitions. Shah and Amina recently featured in the Asia-Pacific Judo Championships in Fujairah, UAE. Shah finished fifth and Amina lost her first fight against a Jordanian fighter. Dr Fehmida Mirza, Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), will open the event.

“The men’s event will be held in ten weights while women will compete in eight weights,” Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) said. All teams will arrive on Tuesday (today). The managers’ meeting will be held at 3pm on Tuesday, followed by technical officials’ meeting and official weight of men and women.