Association official says 9th IGP Taekwondo Championships now cancelled

Stella Ebikife, the Chairperson of Nigeria Police Taekwondo Association (NPTA), on Monday in Lagos said the ninth edition of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Taekwondo Championships has been cancelled.

Ebikife told Newsmen that the championships, being organised by NPTA and usually held before August ended, was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She said the cancellation became necessary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its spread which have resulted in the ongoing lockdown in the country.

“The decision has been taken to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators, as well as adhere to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) safety guidelines in combating the coronavirus spread,’’ the NPTA chairperson said.

She added that the development was rather unfortunate as the event was known since inception in 2011 to hold at this period of the year.

Ebikife, who is a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), however said the cancellation would not be allowed to place a blanket on the sport in the country.

“Even as the 2020 championships has been cancelled, we will continue to maintain virtual communication with coaches and some athletes to keep them up to date on general developments,” she said.

The NPTA chairperson urged athletes and coaches not to relent but maintain physical fitness and social connection, while also maintaining physical distancing and proper hygiene.

She noted that there was the need for everyone to adhere strictly to precautionary measures with regards to COVID-19, as more cases were still being recorded across states in the country.

“We are observing all government order and will not go back until the NCDC says it is safe to resume normal sports activities and lift ban on restricted areas. This is all we should all do,” Ebikife said.

She expressed hope that the coronavirus battle would soon be over as government has been doing all that was necessary to wipe out the pandemic,

The NPTA chairperson assured that the association would take advantage of the postponement to make the championships greater.

“We will be coming back better and stronger, hopefully, in 2021 or when the lockdown is totally collapsed and COVID-19 is over,” Ebikife said.

Supreme reports that the eighth edition of the IGP Championships, held in Port Harcourt in 2019, had 250 athletes from Nigeria and neighbouring countries participating.