By Femi Atolagbe
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The National Coach of Rope Skipping, Chibuisi Ukandu has appealed to the National Council of Sports (NCS) to look into the prospect of the Rope Skipping and incorporate it into the National Sports Festival (NSF) and National Youth Games NYG as part of sports.
Ukandu added that states councils and commissions should also absorb the game into their existing games, saying that is the only way at which the game can spread into the grassroots.
Ukandu in a chat with Sporting Hope in Akure the state capital disclosed that they have written to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to be incorporated as one the federations.
He added that if the ministry and NCS could absorb Rope Skipping as one the sports in their care, it will be easy to extend it to NUGA, NIPOGA and other institutions games.
According to him,”the feed back we got from the federations and Elite Sports Department of the ministry was that there is paucity of fund which is hampering the inclusion of new federation into the already existing once.”
“That incorporating another federation into what they have on ground will add to their bottle neck in terms of funding and other activities.”
“They told us that inclusion of Rope Skipping into the national fiesta like National sport festival and Youth games is the responsibility of the National Council of Sports.
“We have met with stakeholders in the National Council of sports but there was no assurance from them towards the inclusion of the game but we are not to be discouraged we will keep pushing till the game is incorporated as part of the games in the country.”
“If both the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and National Council of Sports can incorporate the sport into the already existing games it will be easier for us to spread the sports at the grassroots.”
He said there are lots of prospect for the game, saying rope Skipping has been adjudged as the most fastest growing game in the world, and Nigeria skippers are doing wonderfully well at both local and international levels.
The national coach added that three Nigerians represented the country at the final international Rope Skipping championship in Seowl, South Korea in 2021, saying that the skippers won eight medals comprises of three gold five gold, I silver and two bronze Which he said was a landmark achievement for the country.
He noted that if Nigeria government and stakeholders in sports industry can embrace invest in the game, saying in that within short period, it will bring the country to global limelight.
He said: “We just produce a Guinness world record holder in Gbenga Ezekiel who erased Rasel Islam of Bangladesh’s record of 262 skips in one minute on one leg with additional skips to set a new record and another one is in the offing.”
If our youth are giving the opportunity they can positively turn the table round for the world to see that something great can come out of a country that many has despised in terms of sports development.
