Wrestling Holds Open Championships Ahead AAG Camping

Wrestlers competing for honours in a tournament

The Nigeria Wrestling Fed
eration (NWF) has fixed July 30 to Aug. 4 for an Open Championships to select wrestlers for camping ahead of the 11th All Africa Games (AAG), an official of the federation has said.
The Games are scheduled to run from September 4 to Sept 10 in Congo Brazzaville.
NWF Secretary Segun Oguntade, told newsmen in Lagos that the championships would hold at the Package B Parking lot of the Abuja National Stadium.
“It is an open competition, which means anybody can participate, ones you believe in yourself. We are accommodating as many wrestlers as possible, so as to pick the very best among the them”.
According to Oguntade, the winners in any of our eight weight categories will automatically qualify to be at the camping for the Games.
Wrestling has two events; male and female freestyle and Greco Roman. “Each event has eight categories. So in all there will be 24 events at the championships.
“Winners of each of the 24 events would be invited to camp and could eventually make the Games. So in all 24 wrestlers would be at the camping for the Games,’’ he said.
Oguntade said that the federation would ensure that wrestlers selected for camping would undergo comprehensive training ahead of the Games.
“They would be adequately trained and prepared for the Games. We are going with the best hands. We are going for the medals and we will ensure that we record successful outing,’‘he said.
Wrestling did not feature at the 10th edition of the Games held in Maputo, Mozambique in 2011.
Mozambique dropped wrestling among the events hosted, saying the sport was not traditional to them.
However at the 9th edition of the Games held in Algiers, Algeria in 2007, Nigeria went with 21 wrestlers and won 21 medals.