Chukwumerije Foundation trains 90 pupils in taekwondo, Olympics

The Chika Chukwumerije Sports Foundation, in partnership with the French Embassy in Nigeria, and the French Institute have completed a one-day workshop on Taekwondo and the Olympics with 90 participants in attendance at the Springhall British School in Abuja.

In the first part of the workshop, 40 girls from the secondary school were taught self-defence, the importance of environmental awareness, techniques, and the legal use of self-defence.

The practice session, supervised by Olympic medallist Chukwumerije, included defence against attacks to the face and how to react to being held against one’s will.

The second half of the workshop had 50 kids from the primary schools being inspired with stories about the Olympics as well as the Olympic motto, creed, flag meaning, Olympic cycles and sports in the Olympics, and life lessons about Olympians.

Attaché to the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, lauded the impact of the programme on the participants.

“We asked different sportsmen and women to come up with a program that will celebrate the values of the Olympics and also provide an environment to learn and educate the kids. When we received a program from Mr. Chukwumerije, we were not only impressed by his credentials but also by the fact he was able to put together a program that will help the kids to better understand the history of the Olympics and at the same time to learn about taekwondo.”

Chukwumerije also stressed the importance of self-defence training for all females.

“Ignorance leads to a lot of pain. There are so many simple things that females should know that will help prevent being in situations of being assaulted and bullied.

“I accepted to do this program because I knew it would add a lot of educational value to kids and inspire young people. I loved this kind of impact, so I was very happy to see the eyes of kids light up as we spoke about the different challenges of Olympians and how they overcame them. If anyone stops these kids and asks them about the Olympics and taekwondo, they will give a knowledgeable answer. This makes me happy.”