BEVERLY HILLS, May 25, (THEWILL) – In furtherance of the support of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) for the Nigerian contingent to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Honourable Minister, Sunday Dare, visited Nigeria’s taekwondo star, Elizabeth Anyanacho, at her training camp, as she continued to prepare.
By coming through the African qualifier in Morocco in February last year, the 22-year-old Anyanacho became the first Nigerian woman to qualify for the Olympics in Taekwondo for 16 years.
Anyanacho, an under-67 kilograms fighter, has set a personal target to return home with a medal when the Games get underway. To realise that objective, she has kept up her practice with regular training, battling national athletes at the training camp.
The organiser of the camp, Chika Chukwumerije, knows the importance of regular training and camp practice ahead of the biggest stage of sporting endeavour. Chukwumerije won an Olympic bronze for Nigeria in the over-80kg class at Beijing 2008.
The camp made an impactful impression on the Minister and he expressed that clearly in his remarks: “I am happy with the intensity and level of training that I have seen here today.
“I want to assure Elizabeth that, despite the constraint of resources expressed in recent times, the Sports Ministry will extend all possible support to ensure she achieves her podium dream in Tokyo.
“I thank all the national champions here today. Your role is important.
“I want you to train hard and help Elizabeth prepare, so when she gets to Tokyo she will be ready for her Olympic opponents.”
As pleasing as it was to be encouraged by the Minister, it is frustrating for athletes like Anyanacho, as a lack of funding meant she was unable to compete at warm-up events in Spain and Bulgaria earlier this year alongside other Olympic medal hopefuls across the world.
But, she was gracious to have been given the privilege of his visit: “I thank the honourable Minister for this surprise visit. It gives me a lot of confidence to know that the Government and the people of Nigeria are behind my preparations.
“I will keep working hard with my technical crew to make a positive impact at the Tokyo Olympics.”
Anyanacho is ranked 62nd in the world in her weight category and is one of Team Nigeria Tokyo-bound athletes that is expected to return with a medal
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
