Coaches canvass exposure for Nigerian boxers

DISPLEASED with the seeming rustiness of boxers in Nigeria’s pre-Olympic camp, some coaches have advised the National Sports Commission (NSC) on the need to expose the pugilists to competitions to prepare them adequately for this year’s Olympic Games.

Not less than 20 boxers are currently camped in Benin City, Edo State, in preparation for the London event.

Sunday Nwamuda, a grassroots boxing coach, advised the coaches in camp to test the quality of the selected boxers by pitting them against skilled boxers, in competitions.

He said Nigeria stood a good chance of winning medals at the Games if the best boxers were selected to participate.

‘We cannot afford to take the less competent boxers to the Olympics when we have numerous talents.

‘Our country has many good boxers and the only way to identify the best among them is to organise competitions and test their skills within and outside the country.

‘Let the gate be opened in the camp to try other talents and whosoever that is beaten should be dropped; those to represent us must be the best,’ the coach said.

Nwamuda also flayed the culture of inadequate funding and late preparations for competitions, saying the development had adversely impacted on sports development.

Another boxing trainer, Paul Nwachi, said that a national boxing team was long overdue.

‘Let’s go round the country and source for talents who are qualified to be in the national team; forget about hand-picking and the fire brigade approach we adopt whenever there is a competition,’ he said.

Nwachi urged boxing administrators to take boxers in camp on training tours and expose them to other champions outside the country to test their skills before the Olympics.

‘We still have time, let’s train those boys in camp well and open them to national and international assessments before the Olympics for everybody to be satisfied that the boys are up to the task ahead,’ he said.

Author: Sports,Nigeria - Google News