Ibrahim Yahuza, assistant coach of Nigeria’s Taekwondo national team, has lamented the national team’s financial difficulties as it prepares for the African Taekwondo Championships in Cote d’Ivoire in August.
Yahuza told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that the team is yet to resume camping as there are no funds to host athletes in camp.
“This is a major concern because we have a roadmap to the Paris 2024 Olympics and African Games in Ghana, and we cannot assess these players or prepare them for these competitions without training.
“A Competition like the African Championships is also an avenue to expose the players and see them compete with other athletes from other countries.
“We missed out on the World Championships in Azerbaijan in May due to [lack of] funds, and we hope that we will not experience the same in August,’’ he said.
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Yahuza, however, called on individual and corporate bodies to support the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) in achieving its goals.
“The President of the Federation, Abdullahi Saidu-Baba, has been doing so much for the federation and majorly spending his personal money to sponsor events.
“We had two events in May, and they were sponsored solely by the president, so he cannot do everything.
“We can only hope that we get support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as well as private sponsors, to promote the game,’’ he said.
(NAN)
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