In November, Nigeria will be hosting one of the key Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying tournaments, according to the International Canoeing Federation (ICF).
ICF President Thomas Konietzko expressed his contentment with the quality of the organization and facilities for the championship in the country.
He was a special guest at the First African Admiral Porbeni Canoe Race Championships held at Jabi Lake, Abuja, where he expressed his pleasure with the caliber of the event. Konietzko was impressed with the abundance of talent in the West African nation.
“I think we have so many talented athletes here in Nigeria, and this competition has proven that African organizers are able to organize Canoe competitions on a very professional level.
“We have to develop sports in Africa, and as a first important step, we need more regional competitions here.
“The lack of equipment is also another important issue, and we have had meaningful discussions with the Federation on how we can help so as to engage more kids in the sport.
“With time, more African athletes will pick up interest in the sport and even go ahead to qualify and compete for medals at the Olympic Games,” he said.
During the first African Admiral Porbeni Canoe Race Championships in Abuja, various stakeholders praised the organizers and called for more grassroots development of the sport.
The event drew over 100 athletes from five African countries, including Ghana, Senegal, Sao Tome, and Principe, Togo, and Nigeria as the host country.
Joao Afonso, 1st Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), emphasized the importance of creating opportunities to discover and cultivate talent in the sport.
Afonso acknowledged that over 60 percent of the African population are young people, and ANOCA is committed to providing conditions for them to engage in the sport and keep themselves occupied.
“We have to change our African mentality because here we believe that the only sport existing is football.
“So, there is a need to change the narrative.
“We have a total of 42 sports at the Olympics, of which football is just one out of so many others,” he said.
President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel, said the federation had the capacity to develop the sport at the grassroots, especially with the vast waterways and talents that abound in the country.
“It is very important to develop the sport at the grassroots, and we have a lot of waterways and talents scattered everywhere in the country.
“We are in discussion with both the ICF president as well as other international organizations to provide the federation with more equipment.
“We from the NOC will continue to give them all the necessary support so they will be able to excel,” he said.
