Participants laud karate federation for championships

The trials aim to select the country’s representatives to the Games in September and other international competitions this year. Karatekas and coaches, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the second day of the event, urged KFN officials to ensure that only the best were selected. Coach James Igwe of Delta said: […]

The trials aim to select the country’s representatives to the Games in September and other international competitions this year.

Karatekas and coaches, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the second day of the event, urged KFN officials to ensure that only the best were selected.

Coach James Igwe of Delta said: “Early preparation is the best thing that can aid any country to victory in a competition as the athletes would have honed their skills and built their confidence’’.

Igwe said that good planning and early preparation often resulted in success, adding that Nigerian athletes would excel at the Games.

Coach Wilson Eguridu of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, expressed delight with the competition, saying it would help the athletes to win laurels for the country.

Joy Okwunze, a silver and bronze medallist at the fifth Africa Karate Championship in Angola in 2008, told NAN that early preparation was a good for the athletes.

“We will have opportunity to train very well for the competition and be busy throughout the year,’’ she said.

Femi Omotosho, a gold medallist, at the 2010 West Africa Karate Championship in Niger Republic said: “It is good the federation did not wait until there is enough fund before commencing preparation”.

According to him, the athletes will benefit from the early preparation and in turn make the country proud.