I am committing the sin of not reading the whole thread before posting and for that I apologise but just had the overwhelming need to post.
That article made me sick, angry and slack jawed. My husband had a similar reaction when I read it out to him.
A sexist prick commentating on a sport he clearly knows nothing about, I am not sure he actually understands to concept of sport to be honest.
I don't know much about judo but I am learning, my husband is a lover of martial arts and has trained in a handful of them and was delighted, as I was, when our dd wanted to start judo.
She started training a year ago aged 6, the youngest age that judo training can begin. Our dd has had quite a few medical and development problems to overcome in her short life and this has left her a very shy child, she found it hard to speak to people she didn't know well as she had spent he life struggling to be understood due to speech problems routed in congenital birth 'defects' within her mouth. After undergoing surgery the clarity of her speech improved but her confidence was a harder issue to address.
In her year so far of judo training she has learnt a great deal and her confidence has soared, she is a tiny slip of a girl, small for her age and by far the smallest child in her judo club but smile on her face and the bounce in her step when she comes home and tells me she managed a throw a child twice her size or hold a pin. These moves aren't about violence or strength, they are about technical skills, tenacity and self belief.
My dd did her first judo summer training camp at the start of the holidays, she loved every moment of it even though she only knew a couple of the older children there, she bounced home on her first day with 'I have a new friend!' and that, if I had ever doubted it, was enough for me to know judo is a massive positive in dd's life.
At the end of camp she came home with a medal for her teams tug of war victory and her first ever trophy, awarded for her grit, determination and willingness to give her all.
The very idea that girls and woman shouldn't be in the world of judo is simply ludicrous and I do hope that when I read through I find that nobody here agrees with this idiots view. I know my dd has, and will continue to benefit in all aspects of life due to her involvement with the sport.