Nigeria Seeks Wild Card For Taekwondo

Nigeria is hoping the World  Taekwondo Federation (WTF) will give a wild card to the country to participate in August’s Youth Olympics after failing to secure a berth in the qualifiers held in Mexico.

Junior World Taekwondo Championships were held in Tijuana, Mexico from March 3 to March 9. The championships also served as qualifiers for the Youth Olympics in August in Singapore.

Two males, Anthony Osudia, Usman Daku and a female, Chinazum Nwogu represented Nigeria at the championships but none could get a place in the maiden Youth Olympics.

Peter Omagbemi, assistant secretary of the Taekwondo Federation  of Nigeria (TFN), said efforts were on to get a wild card for Nigeria at the Youth Olympics.

Ferguson Oluigbo, President, Nigeria Taekwondo Referees Association (NTRA), who served as the coach of the three-man team, told newsmen that the athletes were picked on their past record as the Taekowondo federation could not organise trials.

Oluigbo attributed their failure to late arrival following the refusal of the Mexican Embassy in Nigeria to issue visas to them early.