Enhanced Judo facilities to boost Olympic hopes
A “significant” proposed extension to a Judo centre of excellence has been hailed as a major boost to Britain’s Olympic and Commonwealth games chances.
The University of Wolverhampton wants to provide more facilities by extending the current centre based at its Gorway Campus on Broadway North in Walsall.
An application has gone into Walsall Council’s planning department and, if approved, will see more space for changing and shower rooms, physiotherapy and medical consultation facilities.
And the plans have been endorsed by both British Judo and the English Institute of Sport, both of whom believe it will benefit Team GB’s competitors in major upcoming games.
In a letter to the university’s vice chancellor Geoff Layer, British Judo chief executive Andrew Scoular offered to support the bid.
He said: “All of us at the British Judo Association are extremely excited and supportive of the potential extension to the Olympic Judo Centre at the Centre of Excellence on the Walsall Campus.
“This extension would make a significant impact both in the lead up to the 2021, the Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond.
“We do hope that you are successful with the planning permission application and are looking forward to this project coming to fruition.”
Nigel Walker OBE, national director for English Institute of Sport, said: “The English Institute of Sport are British Judo’s principal partners for the delivery of world class science and medicine.
“As improved medical and physiotherapy facilities are a key part of this new extension, I am wholly supportive of this project as these new facilities will serve to support the judo fighters on the journey towards Tokyo, Paris and beyond, as well as the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.”
The British Judo Centre of Excellence has been at the Walsall campus since 2002 and, in the application, agents Delta Planning said the extension would enhance facilities for judo athletes.
They said: “The purpose of the scheme is to increase the British Judo Association’s changing, shower, physiotherapy and medical facilities which will make a significant difference both in the lead up to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond.
“The proposed extension would not lead to an intensification of use in terms of users, it would just provide additional space for necessary facilities to be used by the current occupiers only as the British Judo Association will continue to operate the site as it historically has done.”
