Hong Kong Judo Association seeks green light from government to stage Olympic qualifier
- Local organisers want to stage home event to bolster Hong Kong hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Games
- Hong Kong’s Leung Po-sum is well placed to qualify but must need to maintain her ninth ranking in continental quota
The Hong Kong Judo Association is hoping to obtain government approval to stage an Olympic qualification tournament early next year to boost home judokas’ hopes of making it to Tokyo next summer.
The association is seeking permission to set up a “safety bubble” in which overseas competitors would be exempted from required quarantine measures. The local governing body knows their hopes of a qualifying tournament is a tall order given the seriousness of the fourth wave of the pandemic, but they are hoping Olympic hopefuls would be able to compete at home and obtain the necessary points to qualify for Tokyo.
Top exponent Leung Po-sum, who competes in the women’s under-57kg category, is currently ranked ninth and she can obtain her ticket for Tokyo through the continental quota system, which will close on June 28. Only the top 18 players from each weight category can qualify for the Olympics, while 10 continental quota places across all categories will also be up for grabs for Tokyo.
“Leung stands a good chance at the moment but needs to maintain her position by taking part in competitions approaching the end of the qualification period,” said Hong Kong Judo Association chairman Wong Po-kee. “In fact, she has not competed since February this year after an event in Dusseldorf [Germany] because of the global pandemic outbreak. If we can stage an event in Hong Kong, it would definitely boost her Olympic [qualifying] hopes.”
The judo chief is also worried that with more competitions taking place in Europe next year, it may weaken Leung’s Olympic hopes, given that it is extremely difficult for local jukokas to travel to the continent or anywhere in the world.