90 schools set for Gymnastics Festival in Abuja

Gymnast. Photo: Brittanica

About 90 schools from across the Federal Capital Territory are set to take part in the third edition of the North Central Catch Them Young Gymnastics Festival, which will hold in Abuja on Saturday, September 26, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The one-day event, organised by the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria, will take place at the Package B Gymnasium of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

The President of the federation and Vice President of the African Gymnastics Union, Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse, said that about 900 children are expected to participate, with each school presenting 10 pupils.

“Our model is simple: 90 schools to present 10 children, which is equal to 900 children and 90 new clubs in the FCT in one day,” Erhunwunse said.

He explained that the festival is designed to identify young talents early, give them a structured pathway to develop and help close the talent gap in Nigerian gymnastics.

The federation has also set a national target of producing 30,000 young gymnasts and creating more than 1,000 jobs for coaches by the end of 2028.

“Our national target is to create 30,000 young gymnasts and over 1,000 jobs for coaches by the end of 2028,” he said.

The ‘Catch Them Young’ programme is being run as a nationwide talent-identification tour, with one state from each geopolitical zone targeted per edition before rotating until all 36 states are covered.

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Earlier editions were held in Edo State, where 45 clubs and 450 children took part, and in the North-East.

Erhunwunse added that outstanding children and participating schools will benefit from international scholarship and exchange programmes the federation has recently secured with gymnastics authorities and partners in Turkey, Japan, China and Azerbaijan.

The opportunities are expected to expose the young athletes to foreign training systems, coaching expertise and competitive experience.

The Abuja festival is themed “Building Bridges, Renewing Hope for the Future Generation” and is being organised with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Olympic Committee.

The federation said the programme is part of its wider plan to build a sustainable grassroots pipeline for the sport in Nigeria.