Judo Federation
Members of Kenya’s Judo Federation team are reportedly stranded after the Ministry of Sports failed to release funds for a scheduled competition in Algeria, athletes have informed us.
A member of the team, who reached out for intervention, says the squad had trained for a year in preparation for the event, only to be informed at the last minute that funding had not been provided.
The Algiers African Open 2025 is a senior-level tournament on the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Tour, set to feature 146 judokas from 17 countries across four continents.
The competition begins tomorrow, Saturday, February 22.
The situation has raised concerns over the ministry’s commitment to supporting sports, with questions directed at Cabinet Secretary for Youth, Creative Economy & Sports Salim Mvurya over the handling of funding for national teams.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Judo Federation, the entity entrusted with the administration and advancement of the sport, has conspicuously failed to intervene in any substantive manner, despite the unfolding crisis that has left the national team stranded.
Even more baffling is the fact that just this week, federation officials convened for an executive meeting, an exercise that, in retrospect, appears to have been little more than a performance of bureaucratic pageantry.
Here is what one of the athletes who sacrificed months of rigorous preparation only to be denied the basic facilitation required to represent their country had to say.
“We request the Ministry of Sports to intervene regarding their failure to disburse funds for the Kenyan Judo team that was supposed to participate in an event yesterday in Algeria,” the whistle-blower said.
He added, ” Training and fitness have been our joy for the last year, as you know what it takes to secure a slot to represent Kenya. The players are completely demoralized. How can they lack funds to support young players who are determined to make Kenya proud? Is the CS for Sports not conversant with that docket?” the source asked.
More to follow… Members of Kenyas judo
