The immediate past Secretary-General of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Mohammed Maigidansama, has urged the zonal representatives of the federation to organize more grassroots competitions to discover more talents for the country.
Maigidansama made the call in Abuja.
He said that organizing competitions in the zones would enable the federation to discover more young wrestlers to replace the aging ones.
According to him, the federation needs to nurture athletes if the country is serious about winning medals in international competitions.
“The work starts with the zonal representatives; they need to organize more competitions to help discover talents.
“If they have a funding problem, I am sure that the board members and the president of the federation, Daniel Igali, will give them the necessary support to execute their events.
“The president and the board members are of high caliber, and their main responsibility is to develop the sport.
“All we need as a federation and country is more grassroots competitions to enhance the development of the sport in Nigeria,” he said.
The former secretary added that the federation must also organize more refresher courses for coaches and referees.
“The federation also needs to train its coaches and referees so that they can match the global knowledge of the sport.
“Our coaches and referees need to upgrade their level of knowledge academically because the certification will benefit them, not the federation.
“When a coach or referee is certified with a global license, it also boosts the standard of the competition.
“I am not saying that the federation is not organizing coaching courses for coaches and referees; all I am saying is that they need to increase them,” he said.
Maigidansama further stated, “We want to see Nigerian wrestlers winning gold medals in the African Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and Olympic Games.
“Blessing Oborududu, Odunayo Adekuoroye, Hannah Reuben, Esther Kolawole, and Ashton Mutuwa represented Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Some of them are young, while others are older; the older ones should coach the upcoming wrestlers, ensuring that the young wrestlers maintain the momentum of winning medals for the country.
“The federation is grooming more young wrestlers for future competitions,” he added.
Maigidansama has been transferred to the Federation of Elite Athletes Department (FEAD) as an Assistant Director.
Maigidansama has also served as the Secretary-General of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN).
He was also the chairman of Kwara United Football Club of Ilorin.
He handed over to the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Olusegun Ademisoro, on January 15.
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