Why We Featured Aminat Idris At Edo 2020 Festival – Lagos Taekwondo Coach

The need to settle whatever perceived controversy that might be trailing the participation of gold medal winner Aminat Idris in the ongoing Edo 2020 National Sports Festival prompted P.M. EXPRESS to approach the Chief Coach of Lagos Taekwondo Team, Ms. Peace Okunowo who explained from the technical point of view about the decision of the coaching crew to go ahead featuring Aminat who was feasibly pregnant in the national tournament.

Aminat Idris won a mixed gold medal with Arowora Roqeeb, which happened to be the first and record gold medal for Team Lagos in the festival.

Okunowo explained the detailed story to P.M. EXPRESS about Aminat Idris’ participation after the medal presentation ceremony at the end of taekwondo events inside the University of Benin Thursday evening.

The Chief Coach said: “Aminat was not pregnant when she was registered for the event prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 when the festival was first postponed last year. So in-between then and now she got pregnant. As a responsible organisation, we cannot prevent her from meeting up with her domestic obligations, and a a married woman, we don’t expect her not to get her home settled.

“So when the festival new date was fixed and the government was serious about holding the games, we asked her about her intention of going ahead, she was so excited. She expressed her determination to represent Lagos even in her conditions.

“Because she had been training hard, she informed us about her fitness both medically and physically. We pushed her through and it was a thing of joy that she eventually won three medals – gold, silver and bronze.

“When she was about competing, we were told to sign undertaking that we would be liable for anything that happened to her.

“The issue is that the event which she competed in especially the one she won gold was Poomase, which is a non contact activity in taekwondo. This is the practice all over the world.

“It is a form and pattern activity. She had no physical contact with any athlete on the floor. She just climbed the mat and demonstrated what she has to do.

“Let me say for clarity that the game was zero percent risky to her health, and there was no cause for alarm, hence her participation which at the end of the day turned out glorious for her and Team Lagos.”

Speaking about the performance of her wards in the festival, Okunowo described the outing as excellent.

“We came  with 10 athletes but eight of them scaled the accreditation hurdles. Out of this eight, seven won medals of various colours.We had a good outing.

“We thank God for Aminat Idris and all the athletes, as well as everybody for the support, most importantly the Lagos State Government and mist especially, the management of Lagos State Sports Commission which believed in the team,” she said.