Local Judo Coach Innocent Mallya has hailed the just ended International Judo Federation(IJF) Academy Judo Coaches and Referees Seminar which was held in Burundi.
The country was represented by seven coaches at the seminar which brought together participants from Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia and was aimed at strengthening technical skills and knowledge in Judo.
Speaking recently , Innocent Mallya said the seminar was an eye opener as they learnt many modern techniques of the game.
He also said the seminar is in line with IJF coaching requirements globally, and that by 2027 only qualified coaches will be allowed to train and accompany a Judoka to any event recognized by the federation.
Mallya who is the past immediate Tanzania Judo Association Secretary General and holds Level 1 International Certified Coach from IJF said the International Judo Federation has directed that any coach must have a recognized certification .
" If a coach does not hold an officially recognized qualification, they will be barred from mat-side coaching accreditation at major continental and international circuits starting in 2027,and the Burundi seminar was an eye opener to us ,this time around it was more of theory ,next year we will return back to Burundi for Practicals," he said.
Mallya, who is the Tanzania Prison Special Task Forces Judo coach, named the other six local coaches who attended the seminar as Omari Mgowe,Andrew Mlungu ,Abuu Suleiman ,Ali Hamis ,Michael Kwea and Mohammed Khamis.
The coach said all the seven coaches sponsored themselves for the Burundi Seminar; he appealed to the corporate world and sports stakeholders to invest in coaches' education so that the country has highly qualified coaches in all sporting codes.
He said the seminar covered Judo techniques, coaching methods and competition rules through both theoretical and practical sessions.