NOC, IOC take boxing to schools

After the successful conduct of the International Amateur Boxing Association one-star coaching course, that ended at the weekend, the Nigeria Olympic Committee in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee will today commence the second phase of the boxing training programme aimed at repositioning it in Nigeria tagged ‘‘Gloves Up Developmental Boxing Solidarity Course”.
The programme is a catch them young initiative under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Amateur Boxing body (AIBA) in conjunction with the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
It is targeted at boys and girls within ages eleven to fourteen that are still in school.
The Secretary General of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Olusegun Bode Ademisoro who disclosed this in Lagos, said a total of 250 kids drawn from across the country are featuring in the exercise that lasts from September 12-17, 2017, at the Brai Ayenote Boxing Gym, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Event co-ordinator , Fadele Samuel of the NOC, also revealed that the committee is using one stone to kill several birds at a time as the weekly programme is also involving non-star-coaches, referees and national federation staffers .
Secretary general of the NOC, Hon Babatunde Popoola who commended both the IOC and AIBA for the all important course, said the children programme is aimed at introducing boxing to schools in order to have a pool of future boxers as IOC/AIBA certified instructors that are handling the course are already in the country.
They include Cho Wan Ching, AIBA desk officer from China who takes on the children programme; Egyptian Mohammed El-Sayed Touma who is handling the Referees/Judges aspect of the event and Ofori Asare from Ghana that is in charge of the non-star-coaches course.