The championship is the first of its kind in the South Asian region and is aimed at the development of judo from the grass-roots level. It is also a part of a program of the Judo for Peace Commission, an internationally recognized body of the International Judo Federation which is working toward fostering peace through the medium of sports in war-torn countries.[break]
NJA President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya said that a two-day seminar on Judo for Peace will be held on July 28-29 ahead of the championship. The seminar will be attended by the commission´s head director Jan Eirik.
Bajracharya said NJA will provide training and education to conflict-hit children and orphans of Nepal after the completion of the championship.
“This is just a beginning. We will be seeking helping hands from other organizations for this project as we cannot carry it alone. The United Nations has also pledged its support for the Judo for Peace program,” said Bajracharya.
“The program was on the cards for the last two years but we couldn´t conduct it due to the lack of adequate funds. The IJF is not as rich as football´s world governing body FIFA or ICC,” he added.
NJA informed that it had received US $ 20,000 (Rs 1,400,000 approx) to conduct the seminar and the championship. However, the total cost of the whole program is estimated to be Rs 3,141,500 which the NJA is planning to recover from sponsors and the National Sports Council.
The six participating nations are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
There are altogether 12 events for the age group of 10-13 and 13-16 each in both boys´ and girls´ categories. There are 96 Nepali players among the total 156 players contesting for 24 golds.
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