Sports
2018 National Taekwondo Trials Begins In Zaria
The 2018 National Taekwondo Trials for selection of national team players kicked off on Saturday at the indoor sports hall of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Tidesports source gathered that the national trials which was expected to last two days drew participants from all the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
The Chairman, Technical and Development Committee, Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), Sani Lawal, told newsmen shortly after a technical meeting, that the competition was to select best taekwondo athletes for national team.
“The federation is here to select those who will compete for the national team for the next one year or so. We are trying to create an avenue where we will do a trial, every year.
“In every trial, we will select the best four players and put them in camp immediately to see what will be coming out from the international outings.
“The essence of going into camp immediately after the selection is because we are likely going for the African Championship in Morocco, which is coming up in April.
“There are two championships, the senior championship and the King’s Cup, which we hope to attend, and the reason for attending such competitions is to gather points for qualification into Olympics,’’ he said.
The chairman identified funding, time factor and lack of facilities as major constraints militating against the growth of the game in Nigeria.
He, however, appealed to governments and the private sector to extend more support to further make the game popular amongst Nigerians.
Lawal assured that the selection of athletes would be free and fair, saying it was one of the reasons the trials was slated for one venue.
“I, as the Technical Committee chairman, together with the Technical Director, will sit back to check the activities of the referees as well as the application of the rules to ensure fairness.
“That is why we are using only one cord, so that we can attentively watch the game and eventually come-up with an excellent result for the growth of the game and Nigeria at large,’’ he said.
Lawal said the trials would feature both male and female athletes who would compete favourably according to their gender.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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