British Judo name squad for Russian international event

British Judo has named a team of five to represent Great Britain at the Krasnoyarsk International tournament and training camp in Russia from the 12 th –17th th August.

The tournament will provide a valuable opportunity for the Brits to compete against the Eastern European nations, who have a distinctive and often difficult style of judo.

Colin McIver High Performance Director of British Judo said, “Exposure to the Eastern European style of judo is imperative for these players as we prepare for major events”.

The squad includes Bobby Rich, in the –90 kg weight category, who is current British and US Open Champion. Recently he won silver in the Commonwealth Tournament held in Northern Ireland.

Craig Ewers, who was a member of the 2005 World Championships squad, has been selected in the –73 kg weight category. He won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Judo Championships, silver at the Tre-Torri tournament held in Italy in June, and silver in the 2005 British Open.

One other international gold medallist has been named on the squad. Tom Davis, in the –81kg weight category, won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Judo Championships.

McIver said, “The squad will no doubt face tough competition, but they have proven ability to win medals so I would like to see some success from this tournament.

“The team will also benefit greatly from the training camp.”

Team: