Sports

500 Children To Dazzles, As 15th Edition Of TIG Club Begins in Abuja

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2024

Joel Ajayi

After 14th successful seasons, Tony International gymnastics TIG club Abuja Nigeria has commenced Activities for the Fifteen edition where over 500 children across 17 secondary schools and gymnastics club will be taken part in the one-week long event to celebrate another year of greatness for the club.

The event, put in place by the TIG Club of Abuja commenced on Tuesday at Transcorp Hilton hotel over 40 children beginners were thought the game of gymnastics was grand finale for this year’s event slated for Sunday the 8th of December 2024 at Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday in Abuja the founder of TIG international gymnastics club, Anthony Asuquo said essence of the event is catch them young and prepare them for the future.

According to him, “Our commitment to the nation is to support and create credible platforms that can contribute to the development of the country. And we are committed to developing a pool of young gymnasts talents.

“The aim of this event is to catch them young, we can’t stop catching them young, we have been doing this for several years and this edition is going to be in different four 4 venues, so that we don’t have too much crowd at the stadium.

“We are expecting over 500 children in the 15th edition and then this is huge, we decided to space them all around, very beginners are here over 40 of them at Transcorp Hilton they have done their show on Tuesday.

“We will continue on Wednesday that American School compound and on Thursday we will be at National Stadium where we are going to have 17 Schools coming with children.

“On Friday we have Julius Berger with about 100 children and we have the big competition on Sunday where we have national gymnasts where everybody will come from different places to compete.

“Catching them young is the best thing so that we can have replacement and good talents in future.

“And I am impressed with the performance of the children so far. children who don’t do gymnastics before were all here we thought them how to do it and they are doing it.”

Asuquo who is currently the only international certified Aerobic Gymnastics Coach in Nigeria said some of his gymnasts have represented Nigeria in Big championships like Singapore, South Africa, Greece and many others.

.Asuquo emphasized TIG’s commitment to providing international exposure for Nigerian athletes despite economic challenges.

“We work hard to give our athletes the opportunities they need. Although we hoped to bring a full team, current circumstances made it difficult.”

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Sports

₦203bn Allocation: House Sports Committee Backs Tinubu’s 92% Budget Increase for 2026

Published

4 hours ago

February 12, 2026

The Gleamer

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports, Hon. Kabiru Amadu, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for proposing ₦203.6 billion for the sports sector in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, describing it as a strong demonstration of the administration’s commitment to national development through sports.

According to the Gusau/Tsafe Federal constituency representative, the proposed allocation represents a 92.6 percent increase from the ₦105.7 billion approved for the sector in the 2025 Appropriation Act. He said the significant increment underscores the Federal Government’s recognition of sports as a vital instrument for youth empowerment, national unity and international representation.

Amadu also lauded President Tinubu’s approval of first-line charge funding for the sports sector, a move expected to guarantee the prompt release of funds immediately after the passage of the budget. He noted that early funding would allow sporting bodies to prepare adequately for competitions and eliminate the recurring challenges of delayed financing.

The Committee Chairman expressed optimism that the increased allocation would address long-standing issues in the sector, including deteriorating sports infrastructure — particularly the National Stadia — unpaid bonuses to athletes and officials, inadequate funding for over 40 sports federations, and the absence of sustainable development frameworks and skilled manpower.
Reflecting on recent progress, Amadu described 2025 as a turning point for Nigerian sports. He highlighted the unprecedented achievement of 373 medals won by Nigerian athletes across international competitions — the highest tally in the country’s history.

He also pointed to reforms that repositioned the National Institute of Sports, restored full anti-doping compliance and strengthened the integrity of Nigeria’s sporting system. Other milestones included the revitalisation of school sports to enhance grassroots talent discovery and the introduction of direct grants to athletes to support training and preparation.

“These milestones have restored hope, confidence and pride in our sports sector,” Amadu stated.
The Committee Chairman reaffirmed the constitutional oversight responsibilities of the House Committee on Sports, noting that the agencies under its supervision had been invited to account for the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act ahead of consideration of the 2026 budget proposals.

He explained that the budget defence exercise aligns with Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empower the National Assembly to conduct investigations and ensure accountability in the management of public funds.

Amadu assured stakeholders that the committee would intensify its oversight functions to guarantee transparency, accountability and value for money in the utilisation of the proposed 2026 allocation.

“As we consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill, we remain committed to ensuring that these increased resources are effectively utilised to develop infrastructure, support athletes and sustain grassroots sports development,” he said.

He added that the committee would pursue constructive engagement with all relevant agencies to ensure that every kobo allocated to the sector translates into measurable impact for Nigerian sports and the nation at large.

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