THE newly inaugurated board of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) has rolled out its programme, which it believes would help in resuscitating the sport, one of the events that placed the country on the medals table at the Sydney Olympics games in 2000.

Speaking to the media in Abuja, new President of the Federation, Chibudum Nwuche said the federation has concluded plans to begin its activities with a national weightlifting trial in June.

The NWF president, a former deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, said he was determined to lift the sport within the four years of his tenure, adding that the federation would set up well-equipped weightlifting centers at the zones for the training of youths in its grassroots talent hunt exercise.

The NWF president disclosed that the trials would set the stage for the federation to register athletes for the African Championship, which Nigeria is billed to host in September before it begins preparing the athletes for the World Championship in Malaysia.

“We have an idea of what we plan to do at the Weightlifting Federation. By June, we will begin our national trials, which will lead us to the African championship, which Nigeria has already won the hosting right in September. We will also send qualified athletes to represent the country at the World Weightlifting Championship, which is billed for Malaysia in November.  We are also hoping to set up a weightlifting gyms in Abuja and other centers for athletes to train,” Nwuche stated.

The former lawmaker, who identified administration as the bane of sports development in Nigeria, described the new weightlifting federation board as well composed, adding that it is peopled by coaches, former athletes, seasoned administrators and journalists, who would compliment each other to move the sport forward.