‘Inadequate facilities hampering kickboxing’

National coach, Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria Cletus Okegbe on Thursday in Lagos said that inadequate facilities were hampering the training of kick boxers at the National Stadium in Lagos.

Okegbe told the News Agency of Nigeria that kick boxers currently trained on a hard ground at the stadium due to lack of mats, a situation he said predisposed them to injuries.

He said, “We train on a rough floor here and sincerely, it restricts us from engaging in certain levels of training because it will result in exposing the athletes to injuries.

“The condition is a major challenge and is affecting the development of the martial art, but we still manage to train here.’’

The KFN coach appealed to the National Sports Commission to look into their situation and support the sport’s development.

He said that if they participate in an international competition where standard facilities are used, the kick boxers would not be able to utilise them.

“The substandard training facility has a negative impact on athletes, when they find themselves in an international contest, they will not be able to exhibit their skills,’’ he said.