|
|
 Note: availability information of the sponsorship property or properties included both here and in other pages may not still be accurate at the time of reading and should be checked with the organisation concerned. |
News update ... 14.9.2000 ...
British Judo's successes can grip the public's attention
The British Judo Association boasts a position as 'Britain's most successful Olympic sport'. The organisation is actively seeking a sponsor to work with as a partner to develop exciting aspects of the whole sport.
Judo can claim to be not just a sport but an art form. Now practised in almost every country of the world, it was invented by Jigoro Kano in 1860. Kano was a leading educationalist and a prominent figure in the Japanese Olympic movement. Today, Kano's grandson is the President of the All Japan Judo Federation.
Judo was effectively introduced to this country by Mr. E. W. Barton, who had the intention of establishing a ju-jitsu school in England when he sponsored a visiting team of Japanese judo experts in 1899. Although the project failed, some of the visiting Japanese stayed in England and toured music halls, demonstrating the art of ju-jitsu and betting members of the audience that they could defeat them. They also published books on judo and recognition of the sport slowly began to grow.
The British Judo Association was formed on 24th July, 1948. Today there are nearly 1,000 clubs associated with the BJA, which is itself a member of the International Judo Federation, The European Judo Union, the British Olympic Association, the Commonwealth Judo Association and the Commonwealth Games Council.
Contact: Shirley Startin. Tel.: 0116-255-9669. Other contact details in our Sport section.
