Pakistan Judo Federation announces nationwide talent hunt and All-Pakistan Championship

The Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has announced a nationwide talent hunt programme alongside the All-Pakistan Judo Championship scheduled to take place in Lahore from December 16 to 20.

Lahore: The Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has announced a nationwide talent hunt programme alongside the All-Pakistan Judo Championship scheduled to take place in Lahore from December 16 to 20.

The initiative aims to identify promising judokas from across the country and provide them with structured training to develop their abilities for national and international competitions.

PJF Chairman Colonel (retd) Junaid Alam shared the details during a press briefing in Lahore describing the programme as one of the country’s largest talent identification drives for judo. He said the campaign would be conducted in four stages beginning with district-level selection and progressing through divisional and provincial competitions before culminating in the national championship.

According to the announced schedule player registration will remain open from November 3 to 9. District-level trials are planned from November 13 to December 2 and will be held in the respective districts. Selected athletes will then compete at the divisional level with successful participants advancing to provincial contests scheduled for December 6 to 10.

The final stage will be the All-Pakistan Championship where athletes selected for district divisional and provincial teams will compete in Lahore.

Colonel Junaid Alam said selections would be made through formal trials. Participants would also be placed in different categories according to their abilities including highly talented and beginner-level players. The federation plans to maintain records of the selected athletes to support their future development.

He added that players showing exceptional potential would progress through the selection stages while those at the beginner level would receive further training to strengthen the country’s future talent pool.

Initially, the competitions will focus on athletes aged between 16 and 20. Events for players in the 10–15 and 21–23 age groups will be announced after the national championship allowing more athletes to participate.

The chairman said the district-level selection schedule would be issued in the coming days. He also indicated that age groups and weight categories could be expanded in response to growing interest and registration numbers.

The federation hopes the initiative will create a wider pathway for young athletes to develop their skills and represent Pakistan in international judo events.