After weeks of varying intense training, three-time Olympian and technical Director of Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) Chika Chukwumerije will on Friday lead two of the country’s Athletes – Heavyweight and Welterweight National Taekwondo Champions, 21 and 19-year-old Benjamin Okumose and Elizabeth Anyanacho back to Nigeria.
It was Chukwumerije who first stormed Taekwondowon-Muju, Korea for a three-day Educator programme sanctioned by World Taekwondo (WT).
Days later, Anyanacho and Okumose arrived and attended another 15-day 1st Taekwondowon WT training camp.
A tweet on the official NTF twitter handle revealed that the return of the trio would be triggered after the closing ceremony of maiden taekwondowon clinic which happened on Tuesday and a tour of a theme park at Seoul on Wednesday.
The tweet reads: “1st Taekwondowon Training Camp. Awesome experience for our future TKD stars! Closing ceremony tomorrow before a thrilling visit to the fabulous Lotte World Theme Park Seoul to bring the program to a benefitting end.”
The training trip was sanctioned by NTF and facilitated by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nigeria, while the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation supported all the participants by paying 20% of the minimum airfare, as well as providing free accommodation and feeding.
A total of 40 slots were available to athletes from 129 countries.
So, two of Nigerian athletes who recently bagged gold medals at the first Nigeria International Taekwondo Open, met with 38 other international athletes from around the globe.
Meanwhile, Chukwumerije has been fully certified by WT as one of the first ever Taekwondo educators for level 1 and 11Coach Certification Courses.
WT Secretary General Hoss Rafaty confirmed this in an official letter sent to President of NTF Mrs Margaret Binga earlier this week.
