Judo Canada is very pleased to announce the return of the Giant Sherwood Ford Canadian Circuit and the renewal of the sponsorship program with Sherwood Ford (in Alberta). “Our goal is to relaunch and stimulate the growth of our national circuit, which is why the Canadian circuit is so important. The sponsorship offered by Sherwood Ford is one of the key elements to motivate the community,” said Nicolas Gill, Judo Canada’s COO and High Performance Director. “This program allows us to promote the Canadian Circuit tournaments, increase participation of our top athletes of all ages and reward the top scorers with a bursary.

Mark Hicks, owner and operator of Sherwood Ford, is very pleased to renew his participation in this program: “I have been involved in judo since I was a child, and I continue to have a keen interest in the success and evolution of our sport. I look forward to following the results of the athletes through this sponsorship.”

The first events on the circuit will therefore be:

• Pacific International April 15–17, 2022
• Edmonton International Judo Championships April 22–24, 2022
• Canadian Open Judo Nationals May 19–22, 2022

The Elite Nationals Championships, Manitoba Open, Quebec Open and Ontario Open will be added to the schedule shortly and will be part of the circuit.

“Participating in the Canadian circuit events exposes all competitors to great judo, high-level competition and a goal to strive for. Regardless of your generation, someone you watched motivated you to strive and achieve success in our sport. This circuit needs to restart for our entire community,” explains Nicolas Gill.

“It is also important to note that there were more than 1,000,000 visitors to the national federation’s webcasting platform (judocanada.tv). Following the youth in real time must also continue in 2022. In these times of pandemic, this virtual link has never been so important to maintain a sense of belonging.

How the Canadian Tour Rankings Work

The top male and female athletes will each receive a $2,500 bursary. In case of a tie, the bursary will be split evenly between the athletes. Points for the bursary will be accumulated during the Giant Sherwood Ford Canadian Tour events. The bursary will be awarded at the end of the 2022 Tour competition schedule. Points accumulated through this program will not affect carding or national team selection.