IKPO IGBINOBA
Though Nigeria has lately taken a back seat in taekwondo, one of its top coaches has a vision of a bright future for the sport in the country.
Nigeria’s fortune in the martial art has been on a steady decline since the bronze winning feat of Chika Chukwumerije during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Even on the African continent, Nigeria is not among the big guns.
But, Coach Emmanuel Banjo, the chief instructor of Bodyweapon Taekwondo Club of Lagos dismissed the current bleak picture insisting that the future of the sport belonged to Nigeria.
He told PM EXPRESS in an exclusive interview in Lagos that “Nigeria will sooner rather than later take her rightful place among the superpowers in taekwondo.”
Coach Banjo listed two reasons behind the infectious optimism which he exuded during the interview.
According to him, “There are two reasons why I believe Nigeria will soon regain her lost glory in taekwondo.
“The first reason is that the founding fathers of taekwondo in Nigeria laid a very solid foundation for the sport.
“One has to give credit to them for planting taekwondo on solid ground.
“The second reason is that the country is blessed with an abundance of talents.
“There’s no where you go to across the country that you won’t find practitioners of different categories from cadet level to seniors, in schools and in clubs.
He blamed governments at different levels and the corporate world for the present problem hampering the growth of the Korean sport in Nigeria.
Banjo lamented: “In spite of taekwondo’s rich history in the country, governments at different levels are not giving the sport the attention it deserves.
“Funding from government is nothing to write home about. If taekwondo gets a fraction of what some sports get, our story would have been different.
“As for the corporate world, they do not support the sport for reasons best known to them.”
He stressed the need for government and the corporate community to support the sport.
According to him, “taekwondo well funded will not only put Nigeria on the world map by winning laurels but also keep the youth away from vices.”
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