About 90 schools from 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 one-day event, organised by the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria, will take place at the Package B Gymnasium of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
Federation president and African Gymnastics Union vice president, Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse, said approximately 900 children are expected to take part, with each participating school presenting 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 is designed to identify promising young athletes at an early age while providing them with a structured pathway for development.
According to the federation, the programme is also aimed at addressing the talent gap in Nigerian gymnastics by establishing a stronger grassroots base for the sport.
The federation has set a national target of producing 30,000 young gymnasts and creating more than 1,000 coaching jobs 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,” Erhunwunse said.
The Catch Them Young programme is being implemented as a nationwide talent-identification tour, with a state from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones targeted during successive editions before the programme rotates across the country until all 36 states are covered.
Previous editions were staged in Edo State, where 45 clubs and 450 children participated, and in the North-East.
Erhunwunse also revealed that outstanding young gymnasts and participating schools could benefit from international scholarship and exchange opportunities secured through partnerships with gymnastics authorities and organisations in Turkey, Japan, China and Azerbaijan.
The opportunities are expected to expose the athletes to different training systems, coaching methods and competitive environments while giving them valuable international experience.
This year’s Abuja festival is themed “Building Bridges, Renewing Hope for the Future Generation” and is being organised in collaboration with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation, the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
The federation said the initiative forms part of its broader strategy to establish a sustainable grassroots development pipeline capable of identifying, nurturing and producing the next generation of Nigerian gymnasts.
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