Judo-Coach Velici targets qualifying one fighter for London Olympics |11 February 2012

Here for a six-month period, Romanian coach Velici – who will be based on Praslin – will be working under the International Judo Federation (IJF) support programme for small countries wishing to take part in the Olympic Games.

An IJF instructor, who has been practicing judo for over 30 years, coach Velici said he has personally informed himself about the level of Seychelles’ judo and the ability of some of our athletes

He explained that first of all, he will assess the athletic, fighting and technical levels of all the athletes, before continuing with a special programme for everyone. This, he said, will include power, speed and techniques.

He added that a six-month period is a bit short to prepare athletes for high level competitions such as the Olympics, but he has promised to do his best to succeed.

The local judokas will test their skills against others from the continent during the 33rd African Senior Championship which will take place from April 17-27 in Morocco.

Coach Velici has previously worked with the Lebanon national team who won four bronze medals at the Asian junior championships and several gold medals at the West Asian championships.

Christian Velici, who is the son of legendary Romanian judoka  Florian Velici, has also worked with various judo clubs in Germany.

R. D.