The African Warriors Fighting Championship was held in Lagos recently to raise the profile of traditional sports in Nigeria.
The championship tagged, ‘The Battle for Lagos,’ according to the organisers, is the first event in the city.
As part of measures to showcase the glamour of African sports, the Warriors fight held in Jalisco Stadium, Oshodi, featured athletes from Lagos, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi competing in Dambe, a form of boxing mostly practised among the natives of northern Nigeria.
Athletes from Lagos and Enugu also competed in wrestling at the championship.
The organisers noted that despite heavy rain on the day, the event attracted a large number of spectators, which caught the attention of the international media, including CNN, BBC, and various other media outlets in attendance.
Several government stakeholders attended the event, including the Vice President of the Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria, Basheer Augusto.
Speaking at the event, Augusto said the mission of the federation was to create more awareness of traditional sports to Nigerians.
“I am excited for the future of the African Warriors Fighting Championship. The Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria and I will continue to work with the African Warriors Fighting Championship to raise the profile of traditional sports, both at home and abroad,” he said.
Founded by Maxwell Kalu, The African Warriors Fighting Championship launched in April held its first event in Enugu.
Kanu revealed that starting with Nigeria, the organisation aims to nurture traditional sports and increase opportunities for Nigerian athletes, adding that it is also focusing on organising an annual event called ‘Coronation of Kings’ in Lagos by December.
He revealed that the event would feature a wider selection of athletes competing in Dambe and wrestling.
Kalu said, “We have brought athletes from around Nigeria together and have demonstrated the unifying power of sport. There has never been a better time to do what we are doing, and the great reception we have had both nationally and internationally is a testament to this.
“This is just the beginning. We are planning our headline annual event ‘Coronation of Kings’ for Lagos in December and look forward to showcasing traditional sports on a larger scale then.”
Story Credit: Guardian.ng/sport
