23rd November, 2017
Bolaji Sidiq, the Chairman of Nigeria Karate Referees Commission (NKRC), on Thursday said training courses have begun for coaches and officials to prepare ahead of upcoming African Games and Olympics.
Sidiq informed newsmen in Abuja that the two-day training course organised by the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN) was to keep officials and coaches updated.
He said the training would also offer trainees the opportunity to prepare athletes adequately to represent the country in future national and international championships.
According to him, the federation in its bid to equip its personnel has already staged a National Coaching and Refereeing Course to educate and enlighten the officials.
“The training is to update coaches and officials on international regulations and standards, because there are lots of things that have changed in the World Karate Federation (WKF).
“Some officials attend the WKF courses early in the year, so there is need for us to impact the new rules on our coaches and officials,’’ Sidiq said.
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He said since karate had been approved as an Olympics sport, there was the need for adequate training and retraining of its officials.
“We are preparing for the Olympics and in preparing for the Olympics, we must prepare our coaches and officials to be up to date with current rules guiding the game.
“Having competent officials and coaches will enhance competence by athletes and that would bring glory to the federation and the country at large,’’ Sidiq said.
He added that the federation was also working on building a national squad for the game, comprising teams `A’ `B’ and `C’ which would be on standby for any competition.