The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Turkish Gymnastics Federation to strengthen technical development, improve coaching standards and expand training opportunities for Nigerian gymnasts ahead of major international competitions.

GFN President, Prince Kelvin Erhunwunse, disclosed the agreement following the World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, October 9, describing the partnership as an important step towards improving Nigeria’s technical capacity across different gymnastics disciplines.

Erhunwunse, who is also Vice President of Union of African Gymnastics (UAG) Zone 2, said the agreement would provide training opportunities for Nigerian coaches and judges, support equipment provision and facilitate plans to establish a training centre that could also serve other African countries.

He explained that the collaboration was designed to address technical development needs in Nigerian gymnastics by exposing coaches and judges to improved training methods, knowledge and international standards.

“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,” Erhunwunse said.

“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 Turkey had granted Nigeria permission to prepare its athletes in the country ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2027 African Games in Egypt.

According to him, the arrangement would allow Nigerian gymnasts to train in a more competitive environment and measure themselves against athletes from countries with established gymnastics programmes.

“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,” he said.

Beyond the Turkish agreement, Erhunwunse disclosed that the World Congress in Bangkok also provided an opportunity to establish training and camping arrangements with China, Japan and Azerbaijan for Nigeria’s junior and senior gymnasts.

He said the agreements could allow Nigerian athletes to undertake training camps lasting up to six months, providing sustained exposure to high-level coaching and competition.

“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,” he said.

Erhunwunse explained that Nigeria would be responsible for the athletes’ logistics and travel-related expenses, while the host countries would provide accommodation and feeding under the arrangements described.

“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,” he added.

The proposed overseas camps are expected to provide opportunities for Nigerian gymnasts to improve their technical execution, consistency and competitive experience as preparations intensify for the next African Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The partnership also places emphasis on the development of coaches and judges, whose technical knowledge and ability to apply international standards are essential to the long-term growth of the sport.

For the GFN, the next challenge will be translating the agreements into practical programmes through funding, athlete selection, training schedules and coordination with its international partners.

The federation hopes that the combined opportunities in Turkey, China, Japan and Azerbaijan will strengthen Nigeria’s gymnastics programme, broaden access to international exposure and improve the country’s competitiveness at continental and global events.