Lack of funds may force Nigeria to miss 2019 African Wrestling Championships

Nigerian wrestlers may be forced to withdraw from the 2019 African Senior Wrestling Championships due to lack of funds.

The continental competition, billed to hold in Hammamet, Tunisia from March 26-31 this year, was hosted by Nigeria last year in Portharcourt.

And as the 2018 hosts, Nigeria were the overall champions, claiming victory in both the Freestyle (men) and Women’s Wrestling.

But the Nigeria Wrestling Federation are reportedly yet to purchase the licences of her wrestlers nor secure accommodation fees ahead, with the registration of athletes set to close today (Tuesday).

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The African Championships in Tunisia will serve as the qualifiers for the 2019 World Championships in Kazakhstan by September.

Hence, failure to compete in Tunisia would mean Nigeria will also miss out in Kazakhstan later in the year.

Worse still, Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan will be reduced as the World Championships is the first qualification tournament for the multi-sport fiesta.

In the meantime, the ministry of youth and sports have been working round the clock in a bid to raise funds and remedy the precarious situation, according to reports.

If all the efforts prove abortive and Nigeria fails to participate in the Tunisia tournament, it will be the first-time-ever that the country will be missing out of the event it has dominated over the years.

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