Year of Africa moves on to Sudan following a successful two weeks of educational programmes in Nigeria
September 28th, 2017 / IBA
AIBA’s inaugural Legacy Project the Year of Africa continued to bring new audiences to the sport of boxing during September as it arrived in Nigeria, providing support and training to the host National Federation and its neighbours as the initiative works to raise boxing standards and administrative efficiency across the continent. A week-long 1-Star Coaching Course and a GlovesUp course in the city of Khartoum will help to ensure best practice is followed in the training of athletes and dissemination of up-to-date rules and methods, part of an overall strategic effort to raise the performances of African boxers in international competition in particular following the Bronze medal awarded for the first time to the Cameroon boxer at the Hamburg 2017 World Championships.
The courses bring African boxing up to speed with the latest tendencies and programmes developed by AIBA, focussing on the Coaches who provide the front-line inspiration and leadership to athletes from the grassroots of boxing upwards. The new GlovesUp programme’s modules on behaviour and ethics have been specifically designed to encourage boxers to represent their sport and their country with integrity with an emphasis on the importance of fair play and respect for opponents.
Elsewhere in Nigeria, 156 children from Isale-Eko Grammar School and Falomo High School in Lagos attended a day course led by AIBA Coach Instructor Asare Ofori to bring a new generation closer to a sport that offers young people a unique exposure to the benefits of discipline and dedication. The project’s sponsors Taishan made a significant donation of boxing equipment to help maintain the positive progress of the two weeks.
“It has been our absolute pleasure to host the Year of Africa in Nigeria and to see our talented youngsters being encouraged to push themselves and continue their education but also pursue their dreams. I want to thank AIBA for giving this opportunity to the Nigeria Boxing Federation and lending its support to the development of boxing across the continent as a whole, because by working together we will be able to achieve so much more,” said the acting President of the Nigerian Boxing Federation Dr Joseph Ayeni.
