The Head Coach of the Nigeria Judo Federation, Obed Ogunedo, on Monday urged the federation’s board to be organising workshop and seminars for coaches and referees regularly.
Ogunedo in Lagos said that the rules of the sport had kept changing, hence the need for young and old coaches to be kept abreast with new rules.
According to him, the growth and popularity of the sport in the country, is tied to the improved technical competence of handlers.
“Regular seminars and workshops within and outside the country, have the potential of transforming the sport, as the coaches and referees will be well-grounded in modern rules of the game”, he said.
The coach also advocated for the organization of grass-roots competitions and national tournaments regularly, to discover hidden talents that could be groomed to represent the country.
He noted that the country’s failure to participate in many continental competitions was due to poor funding, adding that the situation had affecting the development of game.
He therefore advised the Nigeria Judo Federation, to seek for sponsorships to enable the national team take part in invitational and major tournaments.
NAN