NAN-S-5
Performance
By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
Lagos, July 5, 2017 (NAN) In spite of their poor performance at the just-concluded 2017 World Taekwondo Championships (WTF) South Korea, fans say Team Nigeria should be commended for their efforts.
The fans hinged their argument on the fact that the athletes sponsored themselves to the competition, lacked exposure and were distracted by the recently-concluded National Sports Federations’ election in Abuja last month.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 23rd edition of competition held from June 24 to June 30 in Muju, South Korea with 30 countries, including the host country.
Seven athletes represented the country at the WTF organised tournament but did not win any medal.
The host emerged overall winner of the tournament with 10 medals followed Turkey with three and Serbia two.
Team Nigeria to championships comprises four males: Abubakar Adamu (M-58kg), Paul Kolade (-80kg), Edwin Samson, a 2015 All Africa Games silver medallist (-63kg) and Aburime Santos (-63kg).
The three female are Uzoamaka Otuadinma (F+73kg), Chinazum Nwosu (F-53kg) and Josephine Esuku (-46kg), a 2014 Commonwealth gold medallist.
George Ashiru, former President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), told NAN that in spite of their poor performance the athletes should be commended for their effort.
“As far as I am concerned, the athletes need to be applauded because they practically sponsored themselves, went with high hopes and did their best for the country,’’ he said.
Ibrahim Yahuza, a WTF certified referee, attributed Team Nigeria’s dismal performance at the championships to inadequate exposure, an imperative to successful outing in international competitions.
Yahuza said that inadequate training did not keep the athletes in shape for competition, noting that the body should take advantage of series of international competitions to regularly expose athletes.
“Our athletes are good and have the ability to stand tall across the continents, but our major impediment is poor exposure which remains the edge other countries have over us,’’ he said.
In the same vein, Coach Tochukwu Ayakora, told NAN that the athletes did not get the necessary support from the taekwondo family because of the distraction of the recently-conducted federation’s election in June.
Ayakora added that the poor performance should be accepted in good faith.
“I think most of us did not get it right because of the federation’s elections which adversely affected the assistance that the athletes would have received,’’ he said. (NAN)
MIL/ERO/PDE
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(Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Peter Ejiofor)