A renewed drive to install integrity, discipline and fair play among kickboxing athletes, coaches and officials will soon commence through retraining programmes and advocacy that the sport’s governing body plans to set in motion.
This was disclosed by the president of Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria (KBFN), Dr Mykel Eneduwa, who told Sports247 in an exclusive interview that an energetic impetus will start for everyone in the sector to imbibe the true ideals of martial arts.
Read Also: “We’re Bringing The Trophy Home” — Emiloju FC’s Alhaji Alao Declares Ahead Of 1xCup 2025
While basing his verdict on some ugly scenes that were observed during this year’s National Sports Festival in Ogun State, Eneduwa stressed that the core values of kickboxing have to be instilled in all stakehokders of the sport, and this can be achieved through regular orientation programmes.
Eneduwa expatiated, “From the athletes to the coaches and the officials, there is a need for integrity. We have to keep retraining and retraining everyone for us to get that unique blend of kickboxing that we are looking for.”
The KBFN supremo then took a closer look at the busy schedule the sport had during the recently concluded Gateway Games 2025 and admitted that their jampacked categories made the competition for medals pretty tough.
However, while admitting that the competition was intense, Eneduwa slammed the way many top shots from various states allowed the rush for medals push aside etiquette and spirit of sportsmanship.
Eneduwa stated, “We had 28 gold medals presented at the sports festival. Silver also had 28 medals, while bronze gave 56. That made the competition very tough.
“Sadly, the worst people we came across at this festival were the directors of sports. A lot of them will go to any length to influence decisions. So, even when they see red, they want to paint it black … but that is not going to happen.”
He concluded by harping on the need for everyone in the kickboxing sector to adopt true values of integrity, and affirmed that the KBFN will henceforth embark on a serious drive towards ensuring that virtue returns at all levels of the sport.
“The most important factor is integrity, which we are now going to instil seriously. We want integrity on the coaching side, integrity among the athletes, and integrity on the officiating side as well.
“Once we get it right, it will be a catalysing stamp, and it will work for us,” Eneduwa posited with a tone of enthusiasm about a bright future lying ahead of kickboxing in Nigeria
