Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) has held two meetings in quick succession, as members of the martial arts body’s board seek to lay ground to accommodate a new structure and calendar for their schedule of activities for the year 2020v megasportsarena.com gathered.
With the pervading coronavirus pandemic having disrupted all their plans for the year and still causing delays heading into the second half of the season, NTF technical director, Engineer Chika Chukwumerije admitted there is need for them to redirect their focus and set up a new outline.
Consequently, the NTF board met last week and this past Thursday, after which he disclosed that they approved 32 programs for the year, even as he admitted that the war against COVID-19 has scuttled all their initial plans for national and grassroots development of the sport.
He added that Thursday’s meeting was used by the board as a follow-up to update their national calendar and adjust their schedule of programs, while taking into consideration the reality of the coronavirus pandemic, as the board members deliberated and approved a new line of action.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games bronze medalist further disclosed that all the board members are determined to meet up with their targets for this year, even as they face up to the reality of ongoing challenges posed by coronavirus, as they are determined to always boost the enhanced growth and spread of taekwondo in Nigeria.
Chukwumerije told www.aclsports.com: “Last week, the board of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation held its first board meeting via zoom, chaired by the president NTF, Margaret Binga. 11 members of the 14-member board were present, including the secretary-General of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, Yusuf Kabir.
“This was the first official meeting the board is holding since the COVID-19 grounded the world to a halt. We last met just before the Olympic qualification tournament in February, and so much had happened since then.
“Even though you might not have known, we have 32 programs that were approved for this year – programs that covered tournaments for seniors, juniors, cadets and kiddies, as well as workshops that would have empowered coaches and referees across our six geo-political zones with vital knowledge.
“It is true that COVID-19 has hamstrung our initial plans for our national and grassroots development of our beloved sports, but we never stopped thinking about innovative ways to meet this challenge.”
