A total of twenty-three students from the Erongo region were selected during the regional Judo trials held in Walvisbay to represent the region at the first national games which will be held in Windhoek from the 10th to the 13th of May. Fighters at the trials competed in mixed, junior and senior categories in weight groups ranging from 25kg to 100 kg, with the youngest participants being six years of age. Sensei Keith Bock, Sports Director of the NJF and national coach, oversaw the trials and was pleased with the competition he praised the Judo club for the growth they have shown in the region. Sensei Henry Cookson of the Erongo Judo Academy spoke to NBC Sport about the selection process and the path forward for Judo at the coast. “The Namibian Sport Commission saw it fit for us to send a strong team of Judokas to Windhoek for the youth games later in May. This will allow us to pick a strong Namibian team to represent the country. We are very proud to say that Judo in the Erongo region is growing on a rapped pace and we are looking forward for more Judokas to join the sport” Cookson said. A National team will be selected to represent Namibia at the under 20 Region 5 games in Botswana, in December. The Namibian Judo Federation also plans to take part in the South African Open Judo championships to be held from the 1st to the 7th of July 2018. The SA open championships are a prestige event that will see fighters from nine provinces in South Africa as well as ten Southern African countries competing.