The Nigeria Gymnastics Federation (NGF) has unveiled plans to raise 30,000 young gymnasts and create about 1,000 employment opportunities for coaches through its nationwide “Catch Them Young” grassroots development programme.
The initiative is aimed at discovering and nurturing young talents across Nigeria while expanding gymnastics clubs in public and private schools.
President of the NGF and Vice President of the African Gymnastics Union, Prince Kelvin Erhunmwunse, disclosed the federation’s targets during the 3rd North Central Regional Catch Them Young Festival in Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Saturday.
According to him, the programme is designed to create a sustainable pathway for young Nigerians to develop their talents and access international training and scholarship opportunities.
“Catch Them Young is an initiative of the Gymnastics Federation aimed at raising up to 30,000 gymnasts across Nigeria,” Erhunmwunse said.
He explained that the federation is also looking beyond athlete development by creating opportunities for coaches and other professionals within the gymnastics ecosystem.
“At the same time, we want to create 1,000 jobs for our coaches. It does not end there,” he added.
Erhunmwunse said some of the talents discovered through the initiative would be exposed to international training programmes, noting that arrangements were already underway for young gymnasts to undertake training tours in countries including Japan, China and Turkey.
“We already have some young gymnasts who will be going on training tours. In a few weeks, they will be going to Japan. We also have training opportunities in China and Turkey,” he said.
He said such international exposure would help prepare the young athletes for higher levels of competition while giving them access to established gymnastics development systems.
The federation also plans to establish more gymnastics clubs in schools across the country as part of efforts to expand participation, strengthen talent identification and create long-term sporting opportunities for children.
Speaking at the festival, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel, commended the federation for its grassroots approach, describing the programme as an important avenue for identifying future Nigerian athletes.
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Gumel said the young gymnasts could eventually represent Nigeria at major competitions, including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and African Games.
He encouraged the federation to sustain its plan of taking the initiative to different parts of the country, stressing the importance of nationwide grassroots development to building a pipeline of elite athletes.
Erhunmwunse also linked the programme to the federal government’s sports development agenda, saying the initiative could provide opportunities for young Nigerians while creating jobs within the sports sector.
“This Catch Them Young programme is aimed at raising 30,000 gymnasts and creating jobs for 1,000 coaches,” he said.
