At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Indian judoka Kokila Kokila and Kapil Parmar secured watershed moments for their country by making its debut appearance in women’s para judo and claiming India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in the sport, respectively. Behind their historic performances on the tatami was Soma Nagao, a coach dispatched to India through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program.
Arriving in India as a University Student in 2019
Nagao’s journey to coaching India’s national para judo squad began in 2019 during his third year as a university student. Having practiced judo since the fifth grade of elementary school, Nagao initially harbored typical ambitions of studying abroad in English-speaking Western nations such as the United States or the United Kingdom. That trajectory shifted abruptly in 2018 when he participated in a two-week student volunteer program in India through the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Sport for Tomorrow initiative.
Visit of Mr. Nakayama, 1st Secretary, Embassy of Japan, Mr. Eiji Wakamatsu, Rep. JICA India Office & Mr. Joyanta Rabha to Indian Blind and Para Judo Association, Lucknow…Felicitated the coach 長尾宗馬 ( Soma Nagao)…#IndianBlindAndParaJudo pic.twitter.com/NVpj9Vkeck
Interacting with developing-nation judoka who displayed an intense hunger and fierce desire to improve sparked a shift in Nagao’s perspective. Realizing that Japan already possessed an abundance of veteran coaches, he felt a pull to bring foundational judo instruction to athletes driven by such raw enthusiasm. Shortly after returning to Japan, Nagao discovered an open recruitment call for a judo instructor placement in India via the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. Although the application normally required a university degree, he applied and was accepted on the condition of dispatch following his graduation.
Navigating Severe Adversity
Nagao’s arrival in India was immediately met with daunting environmental and logistical hurdles. As the sport of para judo was still in its infancy in the country, the initial eight months of his assignment saw him training athletes on tattered mats laid out in the corner of a badminton court that lacked air conditioning. Furthermore, within months of his arrival, Nagao was tasked with preparing India’s national athletes for the Paralympic Games, a prospect he privately viewed with immense skepticism given the rudimentary state of the facilities and training backgrounds.
Physical ailments compounded the professional stress. Nagao suffered from persistent digestive issues caused by unfamiliar local cuisine, losing roughly 10 kilograms during his first six months in the country. Friction also arose when he attempted to introduce a traditional Japanese phased coaching methodology focused on gradual, technical mastery. While local athletes possessed high self-belief and favored high-impact techniques like Tomoe-nage, they frequently resisted repetitive, foundational drills aimed at building balance and core strength. Progress came only after a local staff counterpart advised him to adjust his timeline to the rhythm of India, allowing Nagao to reset his approach and build mutual trust with the roster.
Bridging Communication and Building Community Through Sport
Facing language barriers and coaching athletes with varying degrees of visual impairment presented unique operational challenges for a single instructor. To maximize training efficiency, Nagao paired fully sighted athletes with visually impaired teammates, training the sighted participants first so they could help guide and communicate technical adjustments to their partners. This collaborative structure not only optimized practice time but fostered organic peer support across the community. Deaf athletes similarly began teaching sign language to their hearing peers, transforming the dojo into an inclusive social hub where participants built confidence alongside athletic skill.
Securing Historic Medals and Looking Toward the Future
As training methods took root, competitive results followed, culminating in strong showings on the international circuit and ultimately the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Kokila competed in the women’s 48kg (J2) division as India’s first-ever female representative in the sport, while Kapil Parmar captured the bronze medal in the men’s 60kg (J1) category to secure India’s maiden Paralympic podium finish in judo. Following these historic achievements, Nagao extended his two-year posting by nine months at the local association’s request, officially concluding his assignment and returning to Japan in December 2024 with ambitions to eventually return and coach the next generation of Indian judoka ahead of upcoming fixtures such as the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games.
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