New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS): Top judokas of the country like Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tulika Maan and the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Cadet Judo Championship, Linthoi Chanambam will come together for the 1st Khelo India Women's Judo National League to be held from October 20 to 23.
The league, which is a national ranking tournament for women judokas of four zones, is being organised at the IG Stadium here by the Judo Federation of India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The tournament has been backed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, who have sanctioned an amount of Rs 1.74 crore for organisation of the same and to encourage the development of Judo across the grassroots level. The total prize money of the tournament across 31 weight categories is Rs 24.43 lakh.
The tournament is organised across four age groups -- Sub Junior (12-15 years), Cadet (15-17 years), Junior (15-20 years) and Senior (15 years and above). The cash prize will be awarded to the Top 7 judokas across the 31 weight categories, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) informed in a release on Monday.
A total of 496 judokas, including Tulika and Linthoi, are set for competition. The competitors for the national league are selected based on their ranking and performance from their respective zones -- North, South, East and West.
Also, the top seven judokas selected from national selection trials and national judo tournaments will compete in the national league.