Experienced Nigeria’s Taekwondo Grand Master, Ferguson Oluigbo, on Tuesday said that athletes and technical officials would be subjected to rigorous training at the end of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Oluigbo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the measure became necessary as taekwondo athletes and officials had relaxed due to the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
He said that the lockdown had denied athletes the opportunity to engage in training programmes supervised by coaches to keep them in competition shape.
“The sports sector has lost a lot and most athletes and officials have gone to sleep, relaxing training due to lack of activities in the country and on the international scene.
“It’s not going to be business as usual after the lockdown for taekwondo practitioners, as the intensity of training will be high and more tasking to get them back to form.
“Meanwhile, we are praying and hoping that in no distant time, the coronavirus will be a thing of the past and the lockdown totally relaxed, to enable things to come back to normal,” he said.
Oluigbo noted that only few athletes keyed into the online programme, organised to keep them abreast of developments and to encourage them to keep fit, as they observed the government’s precautionary measures against COVID-19.
He stated that some competitions that were earlier planned, which fell within the lockdown period, could still hold later in the year.
According to him, that is the reason for the proposed intensive programme. (NAN)
