14‑Member Indian Judo Squad to Train at Tsukuba University Until Early October

NEW DELHI, Sept 17 — A fourteen‑strong Indian judo delegation is set to undertake an international training stint at Tsukuba University in Japan. The camp, authorized by the Sports Authority of India, runs through October 2 and forms part of the final preparations for the Asian Games and the World Judo Championships.

The group consists of eleven athletes – one male (Harsh Singh, 60 kg) and ten female judokas – and three coaches. Key names on the roster include Commonwealth Games champion Asmita Devi (48 kg), Yamini Maurya (57 kg) and Takhelambam Inungnabi (70 kg), all of whom will represent India at the Nagoya Asian Games.

Asmita’s bout is scheduled for September 30, while Yamini and Inungnabi will compete on October 1 at the Aichi International Arena. The remainder of the team will use the Japanese facilities to fine‑tune their skills ahead of the Asian Games (Sept 19‑Oct 4) and the Baku World Championships (Oct 4‑11), where a ten‑judoka contingent (one male, nine female) will take part.

Coaching responsibilities are shared by Jeevan Kumar Sharma, Birendra Singh and Rajvinder Kaur. Funding and approval come from the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry’s National Sports Federations assistance scheme, with the Judo Federation of India handling coordination.

The exposure to Japan’s judo ecosystem is expected to provide Indian athletes with high‑quality sparring, strategic insights and the environmental adaptation needed for success on the continental and global stages.