About 90 schools across the Federal Capital Territory are expected to participate in the third edition of the North Central Catch Them Young Gymnastics Festival in Abuja on Saturday, September 26.
The Punch reported that the one-day festival, organised by the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria, will be held at the Package B Gymnasium of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
President of the federation and Vice President of the African Gymnastics Union, Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse, said about 900 children would participate in the event, with each of the 90 schools expected to present 10 pupils.
“Our model is simple: 90 schools to present 10 children, which is equal to 900 children and 90 new clubs in the FCT in one day,” Erhunwunse said.
He explained that the initiative was aimed at discovering gymnastics talents at an early age while providing them with a structured development pathway and helping to address the shortage of young athletes in the sport.
The federation is also targeting the development of 30,000 young gymnasts and the creation of more than 1,000 coaching jobs across the country by the end of 2028.
“Our national target is to create 30,000 young gymnasts and over 1,000 jobs for coaches by the end of 2028,” he said.
The Catch Them Young programme is being implemented as a nationwide talent-identification tour, with one state from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones targeted during each edition before the programme moves to other states.
Previous editions were held in Edo State, where 45 clubs and 450 children participated, and in the North-East.
Erhunwunse added that outstanding participants and schools would have access to international scholarship and exchange opportunities secured by the federation with gymnastics authorities and partners in Turkey, Japan, China and Azerbaijan.
According to him, the opportunities would expose the young gymnasts to international training methods, coaching expertise and competitive experience.
The Abuja edition is themed “Building Bridges, Renewing Hope for the Future Generation” and is being organised in partnership with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
The federation said the festival forms part of its broader strategy to establish a sustainable grassroots development structure for gymnastics in Nigeria.
