Under the agreement, IIS will provide access to its campus in Bellary, Karnataka, and sports science expertise for the identified cadet, junior and elite Indian judokas to the JFI. It will also host the Indian teams across age-categories at its facility for national camps. The institute will also work together with the JFI to identify and scout for talented judokas from across the country and also offer some full scholarship programmes.

Partap Singh Bajwa, member of Parliament and president of the Judo Federation of India, said, “The sport of judo has a bright future in India and has been recognised as a priority sport by the government. With the help of partnerships with such organisations, we are optimistic about the development of the sport in India and the country’s chances at upcoming multi-sports events.”

Parth Jindal, founder of the Inspire Institute of Sport and managing director of JSW Cement, said, “Our judo programme 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. It is a popular global sport and we are committed to work with the JFI to develop and professionalise the ecosystem for the sport in India.”

The IIS judo programme, led by coaches Mamuka Kizilashvili from Georgia and Dronacharya awardee Jiwan Sharma, has groomed about 70 judokas since 2017. The players have won 101 medals at the national, continental and at a few international levels. Thangjam Tababi Devi, who won a silver at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina in 2018, is also from the institute.

The institute, spread over 42-acres in Bellary, Karnataka, is recognised as a National Centre of Excellence and is a ‘Khelo India’ accredited academy.