Boost For Gymnastics Federation as GFN signs MOU with Turkish Gymnastics Federation to train coaches with judges

Boost For Gymnastics Federation as GFN signs MOU with Turkish Gymnastics Federation to train coaches with judges

By Gabriel Kekong

Bangkok (Core Reporters)- The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation to train Nigerian coaches with their judges across different gymnastics disciplines.

GFN President, Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse disclosed this after a successful World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, October 9, 2026.

The Vice President of UAG Zone 2 said the partnership with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation would also support Nigeria with equipment and the development of a training centre that could benefit other African countries.

He said the agreement would provide an opportunity for Nigerian coaches and judges to receive training and improve their technical knowledge across the different disciplines.

He said: “I was in Istanbul to sign a deal with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation. The deal is all about helping Nigeria with equipment. We also discussed building a centre where some African countries can come and camp.

“The main deal was the provision to train our coaches in all disciplines and a judge along with them. This will help us improve the technical standard of gymnastics in Nigeria.”

The GFN president added that the Turkish Gymnastics Federation had also granted Nigeria permission to prepare its athletes in Turkey ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 2027 African Games in Egypt.

He said: “Turkey has granted us permission to prepare our athletes for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the 2027 African Games in Egypt, where they will have the opportunity to train and compete with champions.”

Erhunwunse also revealed that the World Congress in Thailand provided an opportunity for the federation to reach agreements with China, Japan and Azerbaijan on camping opportunities for Nigerian junior and senior gymnasts.

He said: “In Thailand during the World Congress, I was able to establish full agreements with China, Japan and Azerbaijan to grant us the opportunity to bring our junior and senior athletes for camping for six months.

“What we need to do is provide logistics funds for the athletes, while they will take care of the hotel accommodation and feeding. This is a big opportunity for us to expose our athletes to high-level training and competition.”