THE Judo Association of Tanzania (JATA) has appealed to the government for assistance in releasing judo mats held at the Dar es Salaam Port for more than a year due to unpaid taxes.

The appeal was made yesterday by JATA Secretary-General Innocent Mallya during the opening ceremony of a ten-day national technical coaches course at the OLYMPIAFRICA Center in Kibaha, Coast Region. 

The course, sponsored by Olympic Solidarity through the Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC) in collaboration with JATA, aims to train and develop judo coaches.

Mallya revealed that the mats, donated by the International Judo Federation (IJF), are of international standards and crucial for providing a safe training surface. However, the mats have been held at the port due to unpaid customs duties, which now amount to over 106m/-.

"The mats are vital for our training, especially for practicing throws and takedowns, which carry a high risk of injury without proper equipment. The ongoing delay in their release is significantly affecting the development of judo in Tanzania,” Mallya said.

He added that JATA, as a sports association, lacks the financial resources to cover the tax, making government intervention critical. He called on the government to provide tax relief or assistance in settling the dues to ensure the mats can be used for training and promoting judo across the country.

Mallya also outlined JATA’s broader strategy to grow judo from the grassroots level, starting with the introduction of the sport in private schools. JATA has identified 10 private schools that will serve as the starting point for this initiative.

“We are targeting private schools initially because they have the financial capacity to employ trained coaches. Once we’ve established judo there, we plan to expand to public schools," he explained.

JATA is also focused on training young athletes in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in the United States. However, Mallya stressed that modern training equipment is essential for this vision to be realized, highlighting the need for the release of the IJF-donated mats currently held at the port.

The opening ceremony of the coaching course was officiated by TOC President Gulam Rashid, who commended Olympic Solidarity for sponsoring the program. Rashid noted that in the past, Tanzania excelled in minority sports like judo due to the strong educational foundation provided to coaches through government-sponsored training programs.

"In previous years, the government played a significant role in sponsoring coaching scholarships both locally and internationally. This was a key factor in developing successful athletes across various sports. Unfortunately, this support has dwindled, and except for football, most national sports associations cannot afford to provide such opportunities,” Rashid said.

He urged the government to reinstate or increase the availability of scholarships for sports coaches to help revive Tanzania’s success in various sporting disciplines.

The ten-day judo coaching course, led by Turkish instructor Erdal Dogan, has attracted 30 participants, including two women. The participants are drawn from both Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Mallya concluded by reiterating the importance of having modern equipment and well-trained coaches if Tanzania is to produce world-class athletes capable of competing on the international stage, including the 2028 Olympics.