The President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, Abdullahi Saidu-Baba has assured of a bright future for the sport in the country as the current board under his leadership is working hard to take the game to the highest level.
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Speaking with Sports Journalists after the conclusion of the International Kuikiwon Seminar and Dan Testing at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Abdullahi Saidu-Baba said events will enable the Federation prepare ahead major international competitions.
“Taekwondo has two forms of the sport, Kyrougi, which is fighting, and Poomsae, which is forms and patterns, and they are all scoring events, and there are world championship medal events in both events, which makes it very important for us as a federation to train our athletes so that as they compete in Kyrougi, we should be able to do the same in Poomsae, so for us, we are ensuring that the basics of the sport are addressed.”
The President, who expressed his delight at the number and class of athletes who attended the seminar and testing, stated that the future of Nigerian Taekwondo is bright.
“Let me tell you that the good thing about this training is that our athletes are now understanding that it’s not normal to claim that you’re a coach, but that they need to go through the rigorous testing, and when you get such a certification as a Dan Certification Holder, it’s a world recognize certification, and I’m so happy with the class of the young ones here; our future is so bright for the game.”
As a result, he maintained that the federation is not sitting still, but is working around the clock to keep its athletes in good shape even before the Africa Games camp opens.
“We just finished a two-week national camping training exercise in Birnin-Kebbi and will soon begin the President Cup, which will feature the best of all our Olympic medal classes, after which we will look at our calendar for the next open.”
He concluded that the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation President Cup will be held from the 19th to the 21st of this month inside the indoor sports hall of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
