Sports
‘South-East Taekwondo U-18 Championship Will Live Up To Expectations’
The Enugu State Chairman of Taekwondo Association, Ebere Amaraizu, has promised that the upcoming South-East Taekwondo U-18 Championship will live up to its expectations.
Amaraizu made the promise yesterday in an interview with newsmen in Enugu.
He said the championship, slated to hold on August 21, would create a platform for the discovery of future taekwondo champions from the grassroots.
Our correspondent reports that the championship tagged, “South-East Taekwondo Poomsae Under 18 Championship”, is being organised by the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF).
Amaraizu said: “We thank the NTF for their choice of Enugu as host for the national tournament, which is not easy to come by.
“It is an honour and recognition that the game of taekwondo is drastically going higher in Enugu State.
“We recently organised state taekwondo poomsae event during which our athletes from our Taekwondo Kiddies Class participated and emerged victorious in their various categories.”
Amaraizu said the upcoming championship was being supported by the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices because it revolves around children and youth value reorientation, self discovery and strategic leadership direction.
“The event will feature black belt Kukkuwon grading and there will also be National Taekwondo Referee Course.
“Other categories include Kiddles between U-5 and U-10 years, Cadets between U-11 and U-14 and Junior between U-15 and U-17 years,” he said.
Amaraizu, who is the supervisor of the Local Organising Committee, said, “I am optimist that stakeholders involvement will be a good tonic for overall achievement of the essence of the all important event.
“The competition is meant to shoot the game of taekwondo up in the southeast and Nigeria.”
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”
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