Ryoko Tamara, winner of the gold medal in the women's 48-kg class at the Sydney Olympics, will not take part in the upcoming 2003 Fukuoka Women's Judo Championships, the All Japan Judo Federation said Saturday.
Tamura, who is making arrangements to get married to Orix BlueWave outfielder Yoshitomo Tani on Dec. 20, apparently does not have time in her schedule for the Dec. 13-14 championships at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. It is the first time that Tamura will miss the championships since she skipped the meet two years ago due to an injured right knee. According to the judo federation, Tamura asked head coach Kazuo Yoshimura earlier this month for permission to miss the meet.