Chukwumerije Eyes Taekwondo Grassroots Development

The Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation will host the sixth edition of the CCSF Invitational Taekwondo Open on Saturday, August 12 at the Indoor Hall of the Moshod Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

One hundred youth athletes, comprising 64 males and 36 females from six Abuja taekwondo clubs are confirmed for the event.

The FCT Taekwondo Association sanctioned event will deploy an electronic display scoring system while the competitors will compete in a round-robin format to ensure participants get a lot of exposure and experience.

To engage spectators, organisers plan several activities, including a free morning aerobic fitness class, fun table tennis and video games and a bouncing castle for children. Vendors have also been engaged to provide food and drinks for spectators, while DJs will liven the atmosphere with music all day.

To cap off the day, an outdoor dance-off competition will help thrill FCT residents to a sports entertainment themed event.

Beijing 2008 Olympics bronze medalist and CCSF founder, Chika Chukwumerije, highlighted the importance of fusing entertainment with sports to the development of grassroots sports in Nigeria.

“We want to organise an event that anybody would want to come to on a Saturday morning. The public longs for and deserves these kinds of programmes regularly and sports has always been perfectly poised to satisfy this demand, while simultaneously developing sports at the grassroots,” Chukwumerije said.

The former African Champion promised a well-organised event that would be memorable for both competitors and spectators.

“We want young athletes to be properly exposed, so it is important for officiating to be fair and transparent and operations to run without hitches. We also want our guests who come to the event to have a great time experiencing various activities,” the 39-year-old
said.