We are ready for Africa, says Ihaza

National Judo coach, Edokpolor Ihaza has promised that Nigeria would not disappoint at the Africa Judo Championship coming up in South Africa next month. Ihaza was speaking to nigeriasports. com in Lagos after his return from the National Open Judo Trials organised to raised a team for the continental showpiece.

Brimming with confidence, Edokpolor said he was inspired by the quality of performance at the trials held in Benin City, the Edo State capital.Over a hundred judokas, the known and the dark horses all rumbled on the mat for three days and at the end there were just over a dozen survivors in both men and women categories.

Edokpolor reviewing the exercise remarked that it was a great revelation with some dark horses toppling the status quo."I am very pleased at the way the trials went.Some judokas who believed that they were stars failed on the mat. That is healthy for the sport".

The coach stressed that gone were the days when judokas were invited to the camp because of their names. "Now, we do not give automatic slots to the anybody. You must prove your mettle on the mat", he emphasised. The final team for the African challenge has not been raised. Twenty eight top finishers in both the men and women categories would move in camp in the first week of May to begin the final phase of the preparation.

Of these however only fourteen would make the final team.Some of the survivors are Onyekachi David Okoro,Anthony Bello, Amos Iliya, Husseini Mohammed, Nsa Bashir, Sanusi Mamadu, Harrison Amuye, Tunde Balogun, Amodu Amuda, Naomi Yakubu, Abieyuwa Brodericks, Justina Agatchi, Adebayo Funmilola, Catherine Ekuta and MaryAnn Ikeada.

Nigeria had always been a power house in continental judo but since the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 2002 the story had not been same. Some of the quality athletes drifted abroad to search for the golden fleece, thereby depleting the national team. Since then, the country's profile has waned in international championships though she had a strong showing last year in the run up to the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Edokpolor however enthused that "with what happened at the trials, Nigeria still has the potentials to dominate African judo" addding "We will prove our mettle in South Africa." Africa, in a special way would be the home of judo this year with the high profile World Judo championship which had oscillated between Asia and Europe coming to Africa.

Egypt would have that honour of being the first country in Africa to host judo's flagship in October.