For the first time in the last three editions of the Olympic Games, Team Nigeria will be conspicuously missing from the taekwondo event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as 63 countries begin fight for medals.
Since taekwondo became a medal hauling event at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in United States, Nigeria has not missed out from competing at the tournament after the trio of Princess Dudu, Chika Chukwumerije and Martins Obiora featured at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in Greece.
Nigeria failed to feature in the qualifiers for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games but in 2004, the team presented three athletes – Dudu, Chukwumerije and Obiora for the games but they were knocked in the first round of the games.
Chukwumerije and Isa Mohammed Adam qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China with Adam making it to the quarterfinal while Chukwumerije claimed bronze medal.
Against, it was Chukwumerije and Adam that qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games with both athletes being edged in the first round.
But as one of the Africa’s powerhouses in the sport, Nigeria could not win a slot to the Rio Olympic Games in Brazil at the qualifiers held in Morocco and this automatically prevented the team from the Brazil party.
And when the taekwondo event begins today at the Carioca Arena 3 in Rio, nine African countries will be battling it out with 54 other nations across the world.
The men’s taekwondo competition will pit a field of legendary fighters against an up-and-coming contingent of hungry young guns as the sport prepares to rock Rio with a “Festival of Fight.” The 2016 Olympic taekwondo competition takes place over four days, from August 17 to August 20, at the Carioca Arena 3. One men’s and one women’s weight category, each containing 16 fighters, will be contested on each day. The four men’s weight categories are: -58kg, -68kg, -80kg and +80kg.