SAI facilitates Japan exposure for Indian judokas ahead of Asian Games, World C'ships

New Delhi: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is facilitating an overseas training stint for India’s senior judo team at Tsukuba University in Japan as part of preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya and the World Judo Championships in Baku.

SAI facilitates Japan exposure for Indian judokas ahead of Asian Games, World Championships

A 14-member Indian delegation is taking part in an International Training (Pre-Games) programme at Tsukuba University till October 2. The delegation comprises 11 judokas — one male and 10 female athletes — along with three coaches.

Out of the 11 judokas, three – Asmita Dey (Women’s -48kg), Yamini Mourya (Women’s -57kg) and Takhellambam Inunganbi (Women’s -70kg) are a part of the Asian Games team.

While Asmita will compete on September 30, Yamini and Inunganbi are scheduled to take the mat on October 1 at the Aichi International Arena (IG Arena), Nagoya.

The overseas exposure camp comes at a crucial phase of the international calendar, with the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya followed immediately by the World Judo Championships in Baku from October 4 to 11. A total of 10 Judo players – one male and nine female – are taking part in the Baku tournament.

Training at the Tsukuba University currently are Harsh Singh (-60kg) among the men, while the women’s squad features Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medalist Asmita Dey (-48kg), Shraddha K Chopade (-52kg), L Nungshithoi Chanu (-52kg), Yamini Mourya (-57kg), Linthoi Chanambam (-63kg), Unnati Sharma (-63kg), Himanshi Tokas (-63kg), Takhelambam Inunganbi (-70kg), KH Taibanganbi (-70kg) and Ishroop Narang (-78kg).

The coaching staff includes Jiwan Kumar Sharma, Birender Singh and Rajwinder Kaur.

The sanction has been granted under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) scheme, with the Judo Federation of India responsible for coordinating the foreign exposure.

The Japan camp is part of the broader support being extended to India’s Asian Games-bound athletes, with SAI facilitating international exposure and training opportunities in the run-up to the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

For the judokas, training in Japan in the final weeks before the competition provides a chance to acclimatise in the host country while getting high-level preparation ahead of Asian Games.

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