THE third edition of the Zainab Saleh International
Female Open Karate Championship will hold from June 1st to 5th at the Sir Molade
Okoya-Thomas Sportshall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The competition is the “Brain Child” of Hajiya Zainab
Saleh, a 4th Dan Shotokan Karateka, the sponsor and also the technical director
of Lagos State Karate Association,sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports.
Speaking at a press briefing heralding this year's edition of the event in Lagos on Saturday, Hajiya Saleh said the high
rate of competitions for male karate athletes spurred her to sponsor the
competition in an effort to improve the status of Nigeria’s female karate
athletes.
Saleh, who acknowledged that the tournament would help
the female karate athletes to improve on their technical abilities to improve
their performance, added that regular competitions would encourage the athletes
to win laurels at both national and international events.
She appealed to private individuals to delve into
sponsorship of karate competitions to uplift the standard of karate in Nigeria.
“I decided to have only the female event because I noticed
that when we have competition for both gender, the male events do overshadow
the female event. So I decided to give the girls the opportunity to showcase
their talent and achieve their dreams.
“I thank God hat I have been able to sponsor two editions
of the tournament and I’m hoping that this one will be better. I have promised
our women that I am going to continue by God’s grace. I hope other people will see
what we have done and invest in the development of the sport,” said Saleh, who
is also the Technical Director of the association.
While commending the sponsor, Hajia Saleh for her commitment,
the Chairman, Lagos State Karate Association, Alfred Ohimain charged other well
meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies to come around and join hands with the
association in order to take the sport to the next level.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant on sports to
Lagos state governor, Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye reiterated the commitment of
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration to return sports to its enviable pride
of place in the state. He said the government will continue to strive more by creating
the needed environment for sports to develop in the state.
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