TAEKWONDO TRAINING WORKSHOP: 34 athletes confirm for CCSF

34 athletes drawn from the six geo-political zone including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja will be part of this year’s Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation (CCSF) Training workshop holding on May 11 to 15.

The workshop series which began in 2010 and has since become a watering ground for upcoming future taekwondo champions, with the programme specifically designed to complement the fantastic work being done by coaches all across the country in raising young athletes, by increasing the technical and tactical knowledge of participants.

According to the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of CCSF, Chika Chukwumerije, “the singular philosophy upon which the CCSF Training Workshop is based is that Nigeria’s young upcoming athletes, despite their seeming clumsiness and gawkiness, possess incredibly explosive sporting and intellectual abilities that only needs to be properly ignited at this tender age in order for these abilities to explode to blinding limelight in a couple of years. To this end, participants are rightly treated like the champions they are, and exposed to the latest equipment/techniques/tactics that they need to excel in the sport.”

The three-time Olympian added: “It has become easier to highlight the undeniable progress of the program’s vision with recent successes of past participants like 18-year- old Adamu Abubakar Isah and 17-year- old Shola Olowookere (presently Commonwealth Gold Medalists). Yet still, some of the other ex-participants have won the National Youth Games and battle head-to- head with older and more experienced athletes at the various National competitions available in Nigeria. It is also important to note that all participants are in school or strongly encouraged to continue their educational programs, which is in line with CCSF’s vision that prospective champions must also be educated during their journey to becoming champions.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics bronze medalist said that this year’s edition would continue with its tradition to exposing young athletes to the best training taekwondo drills practised in international circuits, in addition to inspiring the athletes through organizing their interactions with past and present champions in inspirational lecture series.

Top experts expected to handle proceedings at the five-day event are Chika Chukwumerije, Africa’s first three-time Taekwondo Olympian, and other established National past and current Champions, like 2-time African Champion, Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Binga and 2-time National Champion and 3-time NUGA Gold Medalist, Sani Lawal.

The feeding and accommodation of the participants would be catered for by CCSF with only U-20 athletes expected to make it to the event holding in Abuja.