To enhance the skills of athletes ahead of major tournaments, a one-day judo and Sambo clinic will take place on Friday at Oyan Town Hall in Osun State.
Organized by the UK-based King Timmy Judo and Sambo Sports Foundation in partnership with the Osun State Sports Council, the clinic will feature participants from Lagos, Ogun, and other South-West states.
Endorsed by the Osun State government, this initiative is spearheaded by UK-certified Sambo coach Rotimi Okeniyi. Okeniyi aims to popularize Sambo and update athletes on the latest judo rules.
To foster greater participation, Okeniyi stated: “We organized this event to promote the sport and support the South-West states with training equipment, a practice I have been committed to for years. Additionally, we plan to build one of the best training facilities in Nigeria and the South-West. As Osun is my home state, I am particularly keen to see Sambo gain popularity here as well.”
Top dignitaries including Senior Special Assistant on Sport, Culture, and Tourism to Osun State Governor, Shefiu Babatunde; Chairman, Osun State House of Assembly on Sports, Abiola Awoyeye, as well as Speaker of the State House of Assembly Wale Egbedun, will grace the event.
The father of the day is the Oloyan of Oyan, HRM Oba Kelani Adekeye Oluyeye I while national head coach Edokpolo Ihaza will be among the instructors who will handle proceedings during the clinic.
For the Vice President of the Sambo Association of Nigeria, Sheriff Hammed, the initiative would help to galvanize interest in Sambo following the successful outing of the country at the 2023 African Games in Ghana and the 2024 African Championships in Egypt. “I am so excited about this kind of initiative as Okeniyi and his team decided to improve the fortune of the sport with the clinic. This is what should be supported by all and sundry because our athletes must know the rules of the sports as well as update their knowledge to be able to compete with their counterparts in major competitions. This is commendable and we must support it because they are also going to give out the latest equipment to the participants,” Hammed said.