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.
, Mike Chinedu Eneduwa has sent out a clarion call for all athletes, coaches, fans){kind=link}