Abuja welcomes 11 nations ahead of 13th ECOWAS African wrestling tournament

No fewer than 11 countries have arrived in Abuja ahead of the 13th ECOWAS African Wrestling Tournament, scheduled to take place from March 6 to 8 at the Velodrome, Moshood Abiola National Stadium.  

The event is a key highlight of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Francis Njoaguani, Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre, confirmed the participation of 55 athletes, including both male and female wrestlers.

According to Njoaguani, the tournament will see 33 male and 22 female wrestlers from 11 out of the 12 ECOWAS member states competing in individual and team categories.

“Female wrestlers will compete in the 65kg and 75kg categories, while the male wrestlers will compete in the 85kg, 100kg, and 120kg categories.

“A total cash prize of 24,000 dollars is up for grabs, with 10,000 dollars for the winning team, 6,000 dollars for second place, and 3,000 dollars for third place.

“Individual wrestlers can win between 1,000 dollars and 2,500 dollars based on their performance,” he stated.

A Deputy Director at the National Sports Commission, Ikana Mbora, emphasised the significance of Nigeria hosting the flagship wrestling tournament for the first time.

She assured that the NSC, as a key partner in the event, would ensure seamless competition in accordance with international best practices.

Olufemi Ajao of the NSC and former Secretary of the Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria said that security and logistics arrangements had been finalised to ensure a successful tournament.

He urged Abuja residents to turn out in large numbers to witness traditional wrestling at its best.

“This will be the best-organised tournament in the competition’s history, so I encourage everyone to come and experience the best of regional African wrestling,” he said.

The tournament marks a historic milestone as Nigeria hosts the event for the first time, which was previously held in Senegal and Niger.

The countries participating in the tournament include Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and hosts Nigeria.

NAN also reports that regional leaders had in September 2000 officially adopted African wrestling as an ECOWAS sport and aimed to popularise it for regional integration and Olympic Games status.

African wrestling, a traditional style of West African folk wrestling, is known as Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, and Kokowa in Nigeria and Niger.