GFN partners with Turkey to train Nigerian gymnastics coaches and judges

The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN) has signed a deal with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation. This agreement will help train Nigerian coaches and judges in different gymnastics events.

GFN President, Kelvin Erhunwunse, shared this news on Friday, 9 October. He made the announcement after attending the World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand.

Mr Erhunwunse, who also serves as vice president of UAG Zone 2, mentioned that the deal would provide equipment and help set up a training centre. This centre will benefit Nigeria and other African countries.

He believes this partnership will boost the skills of Nigerian coaches and judges in various gymnastics events.

"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 has agreed to let Nigeria prepare its athletes there for 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 mentioned that the federation has made deals with China, Japan, and Azerbaijan. These deals will create training opportunities for Nigerian junior and senior gymnasts.

"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."

These partnerships could give Nigerian gymnasts better access to training facilities abroad and stronger competition as they get ready for big international events.

But how well the federation can take advantage of these opportunities will depend on funding for athletes' travel and other costs, as its president pointed out.