One hundred and seventeen athletes have confirmed participation in the maiden Kebbi Taekwondo Open Championships holding at the Hauru Abdul Stadium, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
Notable among the athletes are Chinazum Nwosu, Elizabeth Anyanacho, Sunday Onofe, Vivian Ndu, Benjamin Okuomose who are Africa champions and medal-winning athletes at the last African Games in Morocco.
Others are upcoming athletes that include Oyebanji Olapeju, Chidinma Okoko, Peter Itiku and Ifeoluwa Ajayi. The championship, sanctioned and ranked by the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, will see athletes from states and clubs including Lagos, FCT, Ebonyi, Edo, Kano, Plateau, Delta, Kwara, Nasarawa, Osun, Kaduna, Anambra, and hosts Kebbi. Others are the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Navy, NSCDC, Nigeria Police, and four unaffiliated clubs.
Kebbi will be featuring 18 athletes, which is the highest at the championships, alongside the Nigerian Army with 11 athletes, Team CCSF eight and NSCDC with six athletes.
The NSCDC athletes, who were absent at the last Korean Ambassador’s Cup in Lagos, will use the Kebbi Open to establish themselves as their first competitive event after the African Games in Morocco. According to the NTF, the Daedo Gen 2 scoring technology, Instant Video Replay as well as the Taekoplan Overall Event Management system would be deployed to ensure the championship conforms to international standards.
