1st September, 2015
Over N2.6m is at stake the 3rd Chika Chukwumerije Sports Festival (CCSF) International Taekwondo Open this year.
The three-day championship holds at Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, from 22-27 October, 2015.
According to CCSF, the tournament is aimed at discovering prospective athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympics, showcase the entertainment potential of a well-organized sporting event, and project the image of Nigeria to foreign visitors.
This year’s edition is expected to be more entertainment-oriented with the award ceremony shifted to a third day to coincide with a musical concert, and table-tennis matches planned alongside a mini-tournament for PS 4 lovers to run concurrently with the main event.
The last edition, which received a commendation from the National Sports Commission (NSC), had over nine countries, 26 states, eight universities, as well as teams from the Para Military and Armed Forces participating.
The impressive numbers are expected to be higher in this edition with 12 countries expected to grace the event, in addition to active participation from the Nigeria Taekwondo community.
The tournament, which is set to apply to gain a World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) G-1 ranking status for 2016, is expected to attract over 1200 spectators, with a total prize money of N2.8m alongside free equipment worth over N1m, which is to be given to medalists and participants.
Some notable champions expected at the event include 2014 US Opens gold medalist, Alfaga Abdoul-Razak Issoufou [+87kg] of Niger Republic [ranked 22 in the World], 2015 Grand Prix Champion, Cheick Salah Cisse [-80kg] of Cote d’Ivoire [ranked 11 in the World], double world bronze medalist [2013, 2015] and current Africa champion, Ismael
Coulibaly [-74kg] of Mali [ranked 19th in the World], among others.
Nigerian champions, who are expected to fend off both local and international competition include Commonwealth gold medalists, Josephine Esuku [-46kg], Jamilu Mohammed [-58kg], Shola Olowookere [-63kg] and Isah Adams Abubakar [-58kg], all national team members expected to fight at the All Africa Games in a fortnight.
Registration of athletes and teams for the competition has started.