Judo great coming to the UK

Highly regarded as one of the greatest to have ever graced the tatami, Shohei Ono announced his retirement from the sport of judo last year.

The double Olympic Champion and 3x World Champion retired to pursue a career in coaching and Ono will now follow in the footsteps of the likes of Masashi Ebinuma, Yoko Tanabe, Kosie Inoue and Yasuhiro Yamashita by coming to the United Kingdom.

Dr George Kerr CBE initiated the relationship between the British Judo Association and the All Japan Judo Federation, which has seen some of the biggest names in judo visit the UK as part of their coaching apprenticeship. Ono will begin his coaching journey in Edinburgh, travelling around the UK where he will take English classes away from the judo spotlights.  IJF General Secretary Lisa Allan, British Judo Chief Executive Andrew Scoular and Performance Director Nigel Donohue met with Ono, and his mentor Shinji Hosokawa in Doha, at the World Championships to discuss future activities.

Speaking about the news, British Judo Performance Director, Nigel Donohue said: “It’s a real privilege to have Shohei Ono on an extended visit to the UK for us to learn from his experiences and gain an insight into one of the world’s greatest fighters of modern times. There is no doubt that Shohei’s visit will excite the Judo community and I am sure that Great Britain will extend to become his ‘second home’. We very much look forward to welcoming Shohei into our Judo Family as he starts his transition from his athletic career. We will help to support him both on and off the mat and also provide experiences across the sporting system as a part of his long-term development and enjoyment during his time in the UK.”

British Judo Chairman, Ronnie Saez added: “This is fantastic news for the judo family in the United Kingdom. Shohei Ono’s career needs no introduction, and we are honoured that he has chosen to start his coaching journey in the UK. All of British Judo welcome Shohei and his family to the UK and we look forward to welcoming him to our dojo’s and learning from his vast experience.”

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