By Ogar Monday
In a bid to grow sports and promote Taekwondo in particular at the grass root level, an inaugural Calabar Taekwondo Open is set to hold from the 19th to the 21st of January, in Calabar the Cross River State capital.
According to a statement signed by Dr. Ferguson Oluigbo, Tournament Director and President of the Martial Arts Conglomerate (PANAMAI) and Wofai Ewa, Vice Chairman, Cross River State Taekwondo Association (CRSTA) and Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Taekwondo Black Belt College (NTBBC) respectively, “The championship is to deepen sport in the southern part of the nation and to identify talents in Poomsae (forms) and Kyorugi (sparring) events.
“This is a grassroots championship, it is therefore important to group the participants according to their age categories so that they fairly compete with one another. The championships will also help to improve the standard of Taekwondo in states within the South-South zone, while those who have been training will also know their current forms”.
Furthermore the statement has it that “Taekwondo is a key unifier of young Nigerians, and the events will particularly benefit those closer in and around the Southern part of Nigeria. As such, the Taekwondo community in Cross River State is delighted to be part of such a brilliant event which is a leading proponent of Grass-Root Development in the Southern part of Nigeria, Nigeria and West Africa.
“Opportunity for athletes to assess themselves on their respective 4-year plans towards the 2020 Olympic Games, which is also a key objective of the Nigerian Taekwondo Federation is also what this tournament is about”.
Concluding the organizers urged parents and guardians to allow their children and wards participate.
The tournament which will run from the 19th to 21st January at the 520 Kolanut Center, Calabar, will have categories and events in U-12 male and female individual poomsae and kyorugi, U-17 male and female individual poomsae and Kyorugi and Adult category.
Leave feedback about this