My name is Lubjana Piovesana but I’m known by most as Lulu.

A few weeks ago I left the British Judo Centre of Excellence after training there for 6 years. Unfortunately, for the past two years I have experienced bullying and attacks from another athlete which was mishandled and resulted in a lot of pain and my ultimate decision to withdraw my position at the national centre.

This of course has been a huge and frankly a potentially life-changing decision for me. Though I have prioritised my mental health, I am now without funding as the UK Sport rule states in order to receive monetary assistance, you must train at the centre.

I chose to leave as the predicament I was in was unbearable. However I need to find an alternative route as the Olympics are my main goal as I’ve worked all my life for this.

To date I have won the U23 European Championships as well as four Grand Prix medals on the IJF World Tour and placed seventh at the IJF World Masters.

I am currently training full time and studying at the University of Warwick so having alternative employment is extremely difficult if I want to continue to pursue my dream and so I am now seeking sponsorship.

This sponsorship finance would help self fund training camps in order to find essential training partners. These camps can amount to a great deal which financially isn’t feasible for me.

I would be sincerely thankful for anyone who is able to sponsor or even donate to my endeavour. I am also welcome to offers to attend club sessions or help in any way possible.