GFN signs deal with Turkey to train Nigerian gymnastics coaches, judges

The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation to train Nigerian coaches and judges across different gymnastics disciplines.

GFN President, Kelvin Erhunwunse, disclosed this on Friday, 9 October, following the World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mr Erhunwunse, who is also vice president of UAG Zone 2, said the agreement would facilitate the provision of equipment and support plans to establish a training centre that could serve Nigeria and other African countries.

He said the partnership would improve the technical capacity of Nigerian coaches and judges across the sport’s various disciplines.

“I was in Istanbul to sign a deal with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation. The deal is all about helping Nigeria with equipment. We also discussed building a centre where some African countries can come and camp.

“The main deal was the provision to train our coaches in all disciplines and a judge along with them. This will help us improve the technical standard of gymnastics in Nigeria.”

Mr Erhunwunse added that Turkey had granted Nigeria permission to prepare its athletes there ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2027 African Games in Egypt.

“Turkey has granted us permission to prepare our athletes for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the 2027 African Games in Egypt, where they will have the opportunity to train and compete with champions.”

He also said the federation had reached agreements with China, Japan and Azerbaijan to provide camping opportunities for Nigerian junior and senior gymnasts.

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“In Thailand during the World Congress, I was able to establish full agreements with China, Japan and Azerbaijan to grant us the opportunity to bring our junior and senior athletes for camping for six months.

“What we need to do is provide logistics funds for the athletes, while they will take care of the hotel accommodation and feeding. This is a big opportunity for us to expose our athletes to high-level training and competition.”

The proposed partnerships could provide Nigerian gymnasts with access to overseas training facilities and stronger competition as the country prepares for major international events.

However, the federation’s ability to take advantage of the opportunities will depend partly on funding for athletes’ travel and other logistical costs, as outlined by its president.