By Amaechi Agbo
The Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) is proud to announce the successful completion and submission of the report by the Committee on Guidelines for the Transfer of Athletes, marking a significant milestone in the NWF’s ongoing drive toward reform, transparency, and administrative excellence.
This initiative is a commendable vision of the President of the NWF, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, whose proactive leadership continues to ensure that issues pertaining to the movement of athletes no longer generate rancour, disputes, or administrative bottlenecks within the sport. His commitment to fostering unity, fairness, and order has been instrumental in setting this process in motion.
The committee, chaired by Dr. Steve Olarinoye, with Mr. Innocent Nwankwo as Deputy Chairman, alongside esteemed members Mallam Zanna Umar, Alhaja Omolola Tijani, Sefiya Onabaye (Technical Director), Mary Osifo, and Melvina Apeh (Secretary), was tasked with developing a comprehensive framework to regulate athlete transfers across states and clubs.
For years, the movement of athletes particularly during flagship competitions such as the National Sports Festival, National Youth Games, and National Championships has been a source of contention among stakeholders.
The newly developed guidelines are designed to eliminate these challenges by introducing a structured, transparent, and equitable system that protects the interests of athletes, states, and the Federation alike.
The framework also seeks to curb arbitrary international movement of athletes, ensuring proper regulation and safeguarding national interests.
Speaking on the outcome of the committee’s work, the Chairman, Dr. Steve Olarinoye, emphasized the thorough and deliberate approach adopted:
“The committee took time to carefully study existing challenges and align our recommendations with international best practices as well as models from other sports federations.
“Our goal was to put everything in proper perspective creating clear, fair, and enforceable guidelines that will stand the test of time. We believe this framework will bring clarity and stability to athlete transfers, while more detailed explanations will be provided once the Annual General Meeting ratifies the report.”
