President of the Tug of War Nigeria Federation, Isaac Osaikhiwu, has said the association will intensify efforts to ensure the sport is featured at the National Sports Festival in the near future, while they also plan to introduce it in schools across the country.
Also known as tug war, rope war, rope pulling or tugging war, the sport pits two teams against each other in a test of strength, with teams on opposite ends of a rope trying to bring the rope a certain distance in one direction against the force of the opposing team’s pull.
Osaikhiwu, who was returned as president of the federation in December, declared his intention to take the sport to new heights, in continuation of the board’s achievements in past years.
Some members of the executive include first vice president Bashir Abubakar and second vice president Etop Ebe, while Abdulkareem Macaulay serves as the body’s general secretary and international representative.
Other executives are Babatoba Samuel, who is the technical director, national coach Jude Iduh, who will be assisted by Tombiri James, while Shola Ogundele was elected as treasurer and Raymond Akparhuere the public relations officer.
In his acceptance speech, Osaikhiwu thanked the delegates for their trust and confidence in his board and pledged to work harder to make Tug of War a rallying point for talent discovery.
According to him, the federation has become a child of necessity with landmark achievements, including the inauguration of associations in various states across the country which are Bayelsa, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, FCT Abuja among others.
He also noted that the main focus now is to see the sport as a scoring event at the National Sports Festival, as well as representing the country at international events.
Osaikhiwu also noted that efforts were in progress to introduce the sport in schools in pursuit of the federation’s grassroots agenda.