COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION CALLS FOR HOPEFULS TO
SIGN UP TO TALENT INITIATIVE
Today (11
August), Judo Scotland
and the sportscotland institute of sport launched its search
for judo talent through Gold4Glasgow.This talent initiative was designed by
the sportscotland institute of
sport, to identify athletes to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games
in 2014. The judo talent search follows the successful Gold4Glasgow
cycling event, which took place in May this year and identified 12 female
cyclists with the potential of competing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Judo Scotland and the institute are
on the hunt for males and females across the all weight categories, in
particular focusing on females to compete in the lightweight (under 52kg) and
the heavyweight category (over 79 kg); as well as males for the heavy weight category
(over 100kg), however this is not exclusive and individuals of all weights are
encouraged to attend.
The first Gold4Glasgow judo event
will take place at Ratho, Edinburgh on Sunday 27 September.Following the application process, Scots aged
between 17 and 25 will be invited to attend the testing event day where they
will be put through rigorous skill acquisition and cardiovascular testing.Those who meet the requirements will then be
asked back to a training weekend for further tests.
Graeme Randall,
high performance judo manager at the sportscotland
institute of sport and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, said: “We would
encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be a successful judo
player to apply, whether they are already playing a sport, for example rugby,
gymnastics or a martial art expert already,or are a complete novice.
“We are looking
for individuals who are driven, focused and are quick to learn. Our hope is
that these candidates will add value to the current judo programme and work
alongside some of the existing athletes.We feel Scotland has a
great chance of picking up medals in judo in 2014 and are in the process of
strengthening the judo team to ensure the athletes selected, coupled with our
existing athletes, receive the best possible support over the coming years.”
Tony Stanger, talent manager at the sportscotland institute of sport added:
“We are delighted to now be recruiting for judo in our Gold4Glasgow campaign,
following on from the successful cycling event held earlier in the year.This is a really exciting time for us,
unearthing young talent which we could potentially see competing on the World
stage in five years time.”
Gold4Glasgow
aims to fast-track entry and development of more Scottish athletes into
existing Scottish programmes to achieve medal success in 2014, and, where
possible, work with the UK World Class Talent Team to identify exceptionally
talented individuals who may have the potential to join Olympic development
programmes. Set up to complement existing talent pathways, the programme aims
to use innovative methods to uncover potential competitors.
For more information about Gold4Glasgow, the application form and the
event on 27 September, visit www.gold4glasgow.com.
ENDS
For further media information, interviews and photography please contact
Lorraine Alonzi or Viv Blair at Smarts on 0131 561 0401.
Notes to editors
Gold4Glasgow
talent identification events
·A series of assessment events will be held for
specific sports to attract potential athletes to these events
·These sports are currently being identified with a
range of criteria being taken into account such as the number of Commonwealth
Games medals available in each event – clear medal opportunities
·Through rigorous testing and training camps those
individuals will be put through their paces with the aim of identifying a
select few who will work with Scotland’s
top coaches and experts in a bid to have them represent Scotland and
win medals
sportscotland institute
of sport
·The institute of sport is the high performance arm
of sportscotland – this better
represents the one organisation approach being taken by sportscotland in the best interests of Scottish sport
·At the sportscotland
institute of sport the clear focus is on preparing Scotland's best athletes to perform
on the world stage. The institute provides high performance expertise to sport
and athletes in Scotland
·The institute is working with itspartners
to build greater success for Scottish sport. Its vision is Scotland
consistently winning on the world stage
·Teams of expert coaches and practitioners work
together to manage and deliver cutting edge programmes in high performance
management, performance coaching, programme planning, sports medicine, sports
science, strength and conditioning, performance analysis and career and
lifestyle guidance
·The institute places performance at the centre of
its thinking; teams of coaches and experts work to provide individually
tailored programmes for athletes and sports. The Institute continuously
endeavors to find new and innovative ways of improving performance and are open
to new challenges and fresh ideas that enable world class performance
·The institute’s high performance network partners include - Area Institutes of
Sport, National Governing Body’s for Sport including Scottish Cycling,
Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland,
UK Sport and its UK World Class Talent Team, British Olympic Association &
the British Paralympic Association
·Successful athletes supported by the institute
includes Chris Hoy, Andy Murray, Katherine Grainger and Hannah Miley
Gold_poster_judo.pdf [122.67K]
