By Andrew Abah
“This tournament is more than justtournament, it’s a celebration of African strength, Unity and youth excellence. As the athletes and officials arrive, I am confident that this event will be a historic and high energy showdown, with participants battling for continental glory and crucial qualifications spots,” he noted.
The African championships also serves as a qualifier for the 2025 world Armwrestling Championship in Bulgaria and a key benchmark for the 2027 All African Games.
President of the African Armwrestling Federation, Charles Osei Asibey acknowledged the effort of stakeholders in Nigeria to grow Armwrestling as a sport in the country.
“The last Africa-Games, we fought to ensure that Armwrestling played at the Africa Games and I’m happy to say Armwrestling helped Nigeria move up on the eventual table. I seat here as a proud leader not just because the story is changing, work done by Engr. Samuel and friends has now become a national project.
“We’ll now move from a mere sport and start building a brand for Armwrestling in Nigeria. During the African Games for instance, Nigerian athletes were renumerated for the first time after many years of playing the sport. This is why I’m so happy about the growth,” Osei said.
Meanwhile, head referees for the championship Oseni Addy, warned athletes to understand the rules, as there will be strict adherence during the competition. Also, the African Armwrestling Federation revealed that as a result of hosting the championship, alot of Nigerian referees have been trained to international standards umpires.
--