Japanese judo trainers, who are here to conduct a week-long special training, on Monday lauded Nepali judokas as technically sound and hard working.

The trainers made such remarks about Nepali judo on the penultimate day of their special training at Satdobato, Lalitpur. A five-member Japanese judo team had arrived in Kathmandu on September 12 under Sports for Tomorrow initiative of Japan government in collaboration with AJJF. The team include coach Ogawa Gotaro, chief of All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF) Onuki Sayaka and three university champion judo players. The initiative will run until 2020, the year Japan hosts Olympic Games.

“The level of Nepali national judokas is far better than our expectations. The coaches are also qualified,” said Gotaro, who took stalks of around 20 training centres in Kathmandu. “Our focus was to make Nepali players technically better. Though they have good base they need to improve on some minute details. We want to see many Nepali judo players compete at the 2020 Olympics.”

The Japanese team trained national players, departmental teams, clubs and young judokas. The 2016 South Asian Games gold medallist Phupu Lhamu Khatri said she gained valuable lesson from the team. “We learnt some new techniques. They also taught us the way to balance our bodies and preserve our strength while in the ring,” said Khatri. Sayaka said that Nepali players need  proper nutrition, muscle trainers and game analyst to improve their game.