Sports
NTF Holds Course For Referees, Technical Officials
The Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) has urged new technical officials across the country to make themselves available for its forthcoming Intensive National Taekwondo Referees Seminar and Refreshers Courses in Lagos.
Tidesports gathered that the course organised by the NTF Referees Department would hold at the National Stadium, Lagos, from March 22 to March 25.
Ferguson Oluigbo, the President of the department, told newsmen that the course was to update the officials on new rules by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
“This is an opportunity for our technical officials, particularly the new ones, to get themselves abreast with some rules that were recently introduced by our world body.
“The idea is to assemble and collaborate with practitioners who are also zealous to improve their skills and that of athletes enrolled under them for training,’’ he said.
Oluigbo said the three-day programme would center on modern competition rules in Poomsae, a demonstration event and Kyorugi the fight, meant to guide officials’ training programmes.
He said such rules would be applied in various national competitions in the country, which athletes were expected to display and comply with during competitions.
“There are required movements that an athlete will display to get points, while competing, which is purely based on the training from his coaches.
“We really want both our technical officials and the athletes to operate on the same level with their foreign counterparts so that they can compete favourably without fear or intimidation,’’ he said.
According to him, the participation fee for Poomsae and Kyorugi course is N5,000 each, but N8,000 for those who will combine the two at the same time.
“Rather than paying N10,000 they will pay N8,000 for both courses and it is a way to assist and encourage them to run the two programmes,’’ he said.
The referees’ president added that compulsory examinations would be organised for participants to round off the three-day programme, while successful candidates would be recognised.
Referees Association is an arm of the NTF saddled with the responsibility of executing quality, free and fair officiating in its competitions.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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