The president of Kickboxing Federation of
Nigeria (KBFN), Dr Mykel ENEDUWA has sent out a clarion call for all
athletes, coaches, fans, umpires and other stakeholders of the sport to imbibe
the spirit of integrity, which he stressed is a core pillar for martial arts.
Eneduwa stated this during an exclusive interview with
Sports247 in Abeokuta, as he took stock of the outing by kickboxing, among
other major events at this year’s National Sports Festival in Ogun State, but
gave average marks for the organisation of his events.
The KBFN boss acknowledged the fact that kickboxing
had a large number of participants, which he agreed occasioned a wider range of
fixtures, but then confessed that a lot of controversial issues also affected
the scheduling of fights in their various categories.
Eneduwa added, “It wasn’t easy, because we had a lot
of athletes to cater for. There was also a matter two days earlier, when the
athletes couldn’t come to the Games Village because of some issues with the
host state’s contingent.
“It was later resolved but, by the time we got to the
venue, it was too late to meet up with our fights. So, our last fights had to
be staged late into the night on Thursday.”
However, Eneduwa further pointed out that the large
number of competitors in various kickboxing fights, for male and female weight
categories, also accounted for the huge number of fixtures they had to squeeze
into the events’ schedule at Gateway Games 2025.
He recounted, “It was on record that kickboxing had
one of the highest number of athletes participating among all the major sports.
That’s why we had to finish late on the festival’s final day.
“There were also a lot of intrigues; but we were
eventually able to finish up all of our fights, and many lessons have been
learnt.”
He concluded by harping on the need for all athletes
and personnel of the sport to ensure that they allow integrity to direct their
conduct henceforth, even as he promised that the KBFN will do better in terms
of organisation next time out.
“We’ll surely do better next time; but we need to
understand that the number one factor in kickboxing is integrity. That’s part
of what we call the values of martial arts … but I found that lacking at this
venue.
“What I saw on that final day – and even before – was
not ideal. It was a case of everyone thinking all about the medals, not about
the value of the sport. So, my focus moving forward would be to emphasise
integrity and good officiating,” Eneduwa projected.
Eneduwa went on to outline some of the strategies he
and other KBFN board members will put into place over the coming months, in
order to give kickboxing a better structure and impact in Nigeria.
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