The bane of any sport is bad officiating which in turn leads to selection/qualification of an unqualified crop of players to represent the nation at international events. Consequent on this, the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), led by its first-ever female President, Mrs Margaret Binga, has concluded plans to host major referee training workshops in both Kyeorugi and Poomsae, between 1st and 3rd October.
The training, aimed at producing over 100 taekwondo referees by 2019 according to recent changes in competition rules by the World Taekwondo (WT) governing body, will see participants familiarize themselves with world-class equipment and methods – a needful improvement for the NTF.
According to Mrs Binga, “This is why the Federation is eager to ensure that our referees are up to date long before the National Sports Festival through this national referee workshop which would have an impact on selections ahead of the 2019 All African Games.
“Our goal is to have 100 new referees by the end of 2019. We have 32 new referees that attended the last workshop in 2017 and we hope to have some new referees join next month during the workshop. We also increased the mandatory daily allowances for referees to encourage them in their chosen career.”
Chairman of the NTF Referee Department, Mrs Winfred Eleri assured the general public that this move is not just aimed at the betterment of the game but also to help NTF referees boost their careers. “If we want our referees to be invited more often internationally, they have to be of high standard, hence this workshop,” she said.
Feature image: sportsbiz247.blogspot.com
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