Kickboxing Coach Decries Lack Of Gymnasium

Cletus Okegbe, the national coach of the Nigeria Kickboxing Federation (NKF), has decried the lack of a standard gymnasium for the sport at the National Stadium, Lagos.

Okegbe told newmen in Lagos at the weekend that the facility was needed to address the problem faced by kickboxers.

The coach said athletes currently used the open space behind the main bowl of the stadium for training.

“Athletes’ lives are put at risk by training on a cemented floor and their kicks are limited.

“The floors are expected to be padded so that athletes will not sustain injuries when they fall during training,” he said.

Okegbe described the training environment as unfriendly to the athletes and urged the National Sports Commission to quickly address the situation.

He advised upcoming athletes to ensure that they were groomed by certified coaches to attain greatness.

“If the federation had a gym, there would have been a check on the activities of charlatans but because this basic facility is lacking, athletes get misled,” he said.

The coach said the rules of the sport were dynamic such that only coaches whose knowledge was regularly updated would be allowed to handle athletes, especially at the state level.

He reminded state coaches to attend the upcoming course organised by the NKF in Benue in July for coaches and referees.

“The purpose of the course is to update the technical officials on the current developments in the rules which will be applied at the National Sports Festival later this year,” Okegbe said.