Chukwumerije Implores German Embassy to Reconsider Their Decision to Deny National Taekwondo Team Visa.

Chika Chukwumerije.
Chika Chukwumerije.

Team Nigeria captain to the 2012 London Olympics and Beijing 2008 Olympic medalist Chika Chukwumerije, has appealed to the German Embassy to reconsider its stance on not granting visas to the Nigerian national team expected to embark on a training tour of Germany this week. The training tour is part of the team’s build- up to the 2015 All Africa Games and the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil. “All arrangements have been made- accommodation, transportation, feeding in Germany. Also, arrangement with clubs that would compete with the team had also been completed. The clubs included: Sportschuke Kwaik (Karlsche, Germany), TKD Creti Club (Tubingen, Germany), Armare Waiblingen Taekwondo Club (Waiblingen, Germany) and five others had also indicated interest in thesparring and training sessions with the Nigerian national taekwondo athletes.” Chukwumerije also stated that the trip has been carefully planned two months ago with German taekwondo club, Verein- Munchingen eV Club, a team that the African champion has had a 10- year relationship with since Athens 2004. “I am simply replicating conditions that helped me succeed in taekwondo by exposing these national champions ahead of the 2015 All Africa Games and Rio 2016 Olympics. “The aim is to increase Nigeria’s chances of winning medals at these important games. The athletes have been training hard in Abuja in the past three months, and were very devastated when the news was broken to them that the German Embassy has denied them visas,” Chukwumerije observed. The new board member of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF) spared the German Embassy of any blame; instead vent his anger at unscrupulous Nigerians that have used sports for visa racketeering purpose over the past. “All these criminals have succeeded in doing is making the careers of upcoming athletes more difficult. As the athletes’ representative on the NTF board, I will table the matter before the board and make sure that the federation takes strong measures to restore our credibility before embassies in Nigeria. We must expose our athletes after we have discovered them. If they cannot get visas for further training abroad, how can they grow in the sport?” the ex- international asked. He however, pleaded with the German Embassy to review their decision. “For the present situation, I hope the German Embassy will have a change of mind. These are good kids that have trained hard, and are all national champions.”

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