President of the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN), Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse, has urged coaches who participated in the federation’s latest training programme to take their newly acquired skills back to their respective states and use them to strengthen grassroots gymnastics across Nigeria.
Erhunwunse made the call at the conclusion of the coaching programme held at the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa in Abuja, on Sunday, where coaches drawn from different parts of the country received training aimed at expanding their technical knowledge and improving the development of young gymnasts.
He said the training is part of the federation’s broader strategy to build a stronger coaching base, discover talents early and create a sustainable pathway for young Nigerians interested in gymnastics.
The GFN president also commended the administration of President Bola Tinubu for its efforts to reposition sports development in the country, particularly through initiatives aimed at strengthening grassroots participation and creating opportunities for young Nigerians.
According to him, the establishment of the National Sports Commission under the leadership of Shehu Dikko has provided an important platform for sports federations to deepen grassroots programmes and create more opportunities within the sporting sector.
Erhunwunse said the GFN is aligning its programmes with the renewed emphasis on grassroots sports development through its “Catch Them Young” initiative, which targets the development of 30,000 young gymnasts and the creation of more than 1,000 coaching opportunities by 2028.
He explained that the programme has already reached parts of the South-South and North-East, where children between the ages of five and eight were being introduced to gymnastics while new clubs were also being established.
Beyond talent identification, he said the creation of gymnastics clubs is designed to provide structured opportunities for coaches to work with young athletes and earn a livelihood through the development of the sport.
“What you are seeing here is part of our plan to develop gymnastics from the grassroots. We want to catch them young, create clubs and give our coaches opportunities to work,” Erhunwunse said.
He explained that the latest coaching programme is organised in collaboration with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Olympic Committee, with international experts contributing to the training.
Some of the sessions, he added, were delivered virtually by professionals associated with the International Gymnastics Federation, while the federation is also pursuing additional practical and international training opportunities for Nigerian coaches.
Erhunwunse stressed that the impact of the training would only be meaningful if the participating coaches transferred the knowledge gained to athletes and fellow coaches in their various states.
He urged them to return home and use their new skills to train young gymnasts, mentor other coaches and contribute to building a stronger technical foundation for the sport.
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“The knowledge will not end here. This is just a theory. They will still have the opportunity to go through practical training internationally and bring back the experience to develop gymnastics in Nigeria,” he said.
The federation president further disclosed that the GFN has established partnerships with international bodies, including the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, to expose Nigerian coaches, judges and promising gymnasts to modern training systems and international standards.
He said the federation is also working to expand gymnastics beyond its traditional concentration on artistic gymnastics by developing other disciplines and equipping coaches with the skills required to train athletes across different areas.
