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British Judo launches governance review following European Championships debacle
The British Judo Association (BJA) has commissioned a review of its governance procedures after a sponsorship deal dispute resulted in the loss of the European Championships.
Sport England and UK Sport – which published a damning report into the situation – have agreed to the review, which will include an “extensive consultation” with members and stakeholders with a view to making changes to the BJA’s governance documents.
The selection process for the appointment of a consultant to carry out the review will be completed by the end of June.
In addition, the BJA will undertake a Sport England assurance audit in September, while members of the organisation’s board will undertake a “comprehensive governance training programme”.
Earlier this month, UK Sport criticised the BJA for making “serious errors of judgement” after it was stripped of hosting the European Judo Championships in Glasgow due to then chair Kerrith Brown allegedly striking a sponsorship deal for the event with the Combat Sports Federation (CSF) without seeking consent.
The report, undertaken by Hamlins LLP, also alleged that Brown stood to gain financially from the deal. The BJA is currently taking legal advice about pursuing monies received by Brown as part of the deal.
New chair Ronnie Saez said that while the improvements were an “ongoing process”, there had been “significant progress on the recommendations contained within the Hamlins Solicitors report”.
“It is important to note that we have the support of our key funding stakeholders and we are keen to progress towards the completion of this process in the lead up to the annual general meeting in November 2016,” said Saez.
“We will ensure that we undertake a full consultation with the member clubs regarding our governance review over the next few months through the busy Olympic and Paralympic period, where we hope for a successful Rio Games.”