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JAPAN
Judo instructor guilty over death of boy
IN the first criminal case over judo training in Japan, a court has
found a martial arts instructor guilty over the death of a six-year-old
boy.
The Osaka District Court found the instructor guilty of causing the
boy’s death by repeatedly slamming him to the floor during training,
ordering the defendant to pay a fine of 1 million yen. It is reportedly
the first criminal case filed by Japanese prosecutors against judo
trainers, despite over 100 child deaths blamed on harsh training
between 1983 and 2010.
The 36-year-old instructor, who owned a private judo club in Osaka,
admitted he threw the boy excessively in training. The boy died in
November last year from brain swelling, local reports said.
Ryo Uchida, associate professor at Nagoya University Graduate
School of Education and Human Development, said at least 114
deaths during judo training had been reported between 1983 and
2010 at schools alone.
“Instructors must be well aware of the risk of brain injuries and be
prepared for emergency treatment,” he said.
Judo, which became an official Olympic sport at the 1964 Tokyo
Games, has long been seen as a respectable tool for training the
minds and bodies of young Japanese and forms a major part of
military and police training. But many argue that abusive trainers
are able to escape criminal charges due to the physical risks
inherent to the sport.
The All Japan Judo Federation revised safety guidelines in June to
warn against the risk of head injuries.
RUSSIA
Russia sets sights on RWC 2023
Russia will bid to host the 2023
Rugby World Cup, having made its
debut at the tournament last year.
The sport is in line for major
investment in the country following its
addition to the Olympic programme,
and has been added to the curriculum
in a number of schools around
Moscow, with more to follow across
the country.
‘During our board meeting RRU
president Vyacheslav Kopyev stated
that Russia would lodge a formal bid to host the World Cup in 2023,’
said a statement on the Russian Rugby Union website.
The Russian team had a respectable showing in New Zealand,
scoring eight tries - a great achievement for the World Cup
debutants.
However, Russia will need to beat other host hopefuls South Africa
and USA and Canada who are considering a joint bid. Nigel Melville,
the head of rugby in the United States, declared that country’s
intention of putting in a bid to host the tournament in 2023.
The Russian bid might seem fanciful, but it will host football’s 2018
World Cup and by then it will have superb stadiums and upgraded
infrastructure. The country will also host the rugby sevens World
Cup in 2013 - the last edition of the competition before it is added
to the Olympic roster from 2016 - and the RRU noted that it has set
an objective of winning the competition.
A Formula One race will take place in front of the Manhattan skyline
from 2013, with a street-circuit in New Jersey set to be added to the
calendar.
The race will be the second American circuit on the calendar
following the introduction of Austin, Texas to this year’s series.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2012
Formula One calendar. Turkey has hosted a Grand Prix since 2005,
but attendances have been poor.
Bahrain will return to the calendar after being dropped last year
following civil unrest in the country.
The season will again open with the Australian Grand Prix in
Melbourne on 18th March, with the Malaysian Grand Prix a week
later, on 25th March.
The new US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas moves from the heat of June to a cooler 18th November and will be followed by the season-
finale in Brazil on 25th November.
There will be no Formula One during August, with only the Hungarian Grand Prix on 29th July overlapping with the London 2012
Olympic Games.
USA
New Jersey added to F1 Calendar
World Sports News Roundup
Russia vs Georgia
Photo: www.paata.ge