Re-positioning Martial Arts Sports and Its Implications in S’South Geopolitical Zone
A Yenagoa-based journalist, Jide Dominic writes on the need of re-positioning the sports of martial arts in the south south geopolitical region. Enjoy this brilliant sports commentary.
Thereis no gainsaying the fact that Martial Arts sports are not only for entertainments, competitions and recreation.
It is now widely acclaimed as a thriving business and this invariably underscores the reason why many nations around the world have attached significant importance to this lucrative activity.
Against this backdrop, it is pertinent for stakeholders in the sports subsector to look into martials sports that are seemingly not as popular as football, basketball, lawn tennis and table tennis.
Thisaccounts for the reason why stakeholders are making a comprehensive appraisal of martial arts sports purposely to make it more competitive as compared with other sports that are more popular with the aim of moving the sports to the next level.
To actualize this, one of the drivers in martial arts sports, Engr. Gospel Obolo who is currently the Vice President of Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria and the chairman South/South Kickboxing Association organized the just concluded South/South Kickboxing Summit, 2022.
The event which took place at Renew Empire Resort in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa state witnessed discussions and insights by resource persons which include Engr Gospel Obolo, the chief host, Agamaye, a guest speaker, Piriye Kiyaramo, a guest speaker and Jide Dominic also a guest speaker.
In his opening remarks at the summit, Engr Gospel Obolo noted that collaboration among stakeholders in Kickboxing and other martial arts is the key to move the sports forward, emphasizing that the sports has the capacity to earn youths a living thereby making them to be useful to themselves and the society as a whole.
He used the opportunity to urge all authorities in the sports sector to look into Kickboxing as it can absorb a good number of our teeming unemployed youths, adding that frequent occurrence of events like this is necessary where experiences and ideas can be exchanged to move the sport forward.
Without any doubt, collaboration of this nature is quite garmane if martial arts sports in the South/South geo-polotical zone must actually move on as it will invariably lead to discovery of youths who are talented in mixed martial arts like Judo, Karate, Teakwando and Kickboxing.
It is also important to note that mixed martial arts is a global sport that has been in existence for long time with competitions at various levels such as the UFC, the Strike Force in USA, the TKO in Canada and South Africa EFC.
In Nigeria, mixed Martial Arts have come to stay as the country has all it takes to become one of the greatest in the sport.
This is basically because Nigeria is a big country with a large population that can compete favourably with other nations in Mixed Martial Arts.
Re-positioning Martial Arts Sports and Its Implications in S’South Geopolitical Zone
The President of Warrior Sports, Jeff Taylor highlighted this while speaking with newsmen at a sporting press in Lagos in October, 2018 and today, it is evident that the sport has gained prominence as Nigerians are naturally built and physically endowed for physical activities like mixed martial arts.
Written By Jide Dominic, Yenagoa
