On 11 August, Judo Scotland and the sportscotland institute of sport launched its search for judo talent through Gold4Glasgow. This talent initiative was designed by the sportscotland institute of sport, to identify athletes to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. The judo talent search follows the successful Gold4Glasgow cycling event, which took place in May this year and identified 12 female cyclists with the potential of competing in the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Judo Scotland and the institute are on the hunt for males and females across all weight categories, in particular focusing on females to compete in the lightweight (under 52kg) and the heavyweight category (over 79 kg); as well as males for the heavy weight category (over 100kg), however this is not exclusive and individuals of all weights are encouraged to attend.

The first Gold4Glasgow judo event will take place at Ratho, Edinburgh on Sunday 27 September. Following the application process, Scots aged between 17 and 25 will be invited to attend the testing event day where they will be put through rigorous skill acquisition and cardiovascular testing. Those who meet the requirements will then be asked back to a training weekend for further tests.

Graeme Randall, high performance judo manager at the sportscotland institute of sport and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner, said: “We would encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be a successful judo player to apply, whether they are already playing a sport, for example rugby, gymnastics or a martial art expert already, or are a complete novice.

“We are looking for individuals who are driven, focused and are quick to learn. Our hope is that these candidates will add value to the current judo programme and work alongside some of the existing athletes. We feel Scotland has a great chance of picking up medals in judo in 2014 and are in the process of strengthening the judo team to ensure the athletes selected, coupled with our existing athletes, receive the best possible support over the coming years.”

Tony Stanger, talent manager at the sportscotland institute of sport added: “We are delighted to now be recruiting for judo in our Gold4Glasgow campaign, following on from the successful cycling event held earlier in the year. This is a really exciting time for us, unearthing young talent which we could potentially see competing on the World stage in five years time.”

Gold4Glasgow aims to fast-track entry and development of more Scottish athletes into existing Scottish programmes to achieve medal success in 2014, and, where possible, work with the UK World Class Talent Team to identify exceptionally talented individuals who may have the potential to join Olympic development programmes. Set up to complement existing talent pathways, the programme aims to use innovative methods to uncover potential competitors.

For more information about Gold4Glasgow, the application form and the event on 27 September, visit www.gold4glasgow.com