150 Practitioners For Panamai Taekwondo Training Camp
About 150 taekwondo practitioners made up of coaches, referees and athletes are expected to be part of the 20th edition of the annual 7 day Panamai West African Taekwondo intensive training camp holding in Lagos.
The camp being organized by Panamai Pan African Marshal Arts International will hold from July 27- August 2 at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos and Top Angel School, Kilo, Surulere Lagos.
Head of Panamai Dr. Ferguson Oluigbo, Taekwondo Grandmaster, told Newstap com.ng that the programme will draw athletes from all the states of the Federation and countries along the West Coast of Africa such as Benin Republic Togo, Ghana,, Niger Republic and Gambia.
According to him, the training programme is to update the talents of taekwondo practitioners in the basic management of the game so that they’ll be able to perform better when they go back to their various countries and states.
He noted that people needed mostly are referees, core practitioners, instructors and athletes; saying that instructors will learn the most upto date training programme that will help them manage their athletes better while the athletes will have the opportunity to get first hand training on competition rules, self defence rules as well as fitness rules.
” We’ ve been organizing this training camp for the past 20 years and like previous editions, this is going to be beneficial to all the practitioners; be they coaches, instructors, referees, core practitioners or athletes and we hope that at the end of the programme, they’ll get new ideas, be reinvigorated and be able to showcase what they’ve learnt in the 7 day programme
” The programme comes up at the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos and Too Angel School, Kilo, Surulere, Lagos which is my headquarter training camp and we’re looking at having between 100-150 participants”, he explained
On the successes recorded since the inception of the programme, Grand Master Oluigbo described it as very great noting that the camp since it’s maiden edition has produced many coaches and referees for both Nigeria and other West African countries as well as many champions in the game.
” The successes we’ve recorded has been very tremendous because through this programme, many coaches have been produced for Nigeria and the entire West African countries.
“It has also produced some of the past and present champions we have today and we are taking about the Chukwumerijes and other champions, but the problem is that when some of them climb the lather, they no longer remember where they’re coming from
” We have also been able to prepare athletes who end up at national and international podiums and am happy to say that one of the foremost taekwondo practitioners in Nigeria today, Thursdaline Peter was brought up through this programme and she is now the number one referee we have in West Africa
Grand Master Oluigbo however, lamented that government at all levels and corporate Nigeria are not doing enough to encourage sports development even as he appealed for a change of heart
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to government, corporate organisations and well meaning Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora not to allow the youths to be going about without vision by investing in sports.
” This is their time to seek those that have passion for sports and support them so that these youths can see something to look up to that will inspire them otherwise they’ll be left with no option than to make the rich cry because those that are jobless, will likely target what people have thereby putting the country in jeopardy.
” I believe that when they keep the youths busy through sports and other meaningful engagement, they’ll channel their energy to what will make them achieve success than being destructive.
“So, I’m appealing to well.meaning Nigerians to invest in sports not minding whether the country is giving them anything back or not, but they should take it as passion because vwhat they do today will become a reference point in the future”, he concluded
