GIRL CHILD DAY: YEF Brings 5th Female Taekwondo Championship to Lagos, Hundreds of Girls to Take the Mat

Ahead of the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, hundreds of young Nigerian girls will step onto the mat at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos to compete, lead and be heard.

The Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF), a Nigerian non-profit founded in 1995, is hosting the 5th Female Taekwondo Empowerment Championship on Saturday, 10 October 2026, as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child.

According to the organizers, the championship is more than a tournament. It is a safe space where girls are seen as athletes, leaders and changemakers, not as victims to be rescued. “Too often, we talk about girls as people who need to be rescued or fixed. Our girls are athletes, leaders and changemakers already. What they need are spaces where that is taken seriously,” said Tony Eleme, Senior Programme Officer and spokesperson for YEF.

While medals, certificates and cash gifts will be won on Saturday, the championship is built around the everyday realities girls face.

Alongside the bouts, participants, parents, coaches and community members will engage in open, shame-free conversations on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), harmful gender norms, menstrual health and hygiene, personal safety, online safety and girls’ rights – issues many girls are often expected to deal with quietly.

YEF says taekwondo makes these conversations possible. The sport teaches discipline and self-defence, but also teaches a girl to take up space, stand her ground and get back up – lessons that carry beyond the stadium into classrooms, homes, workplaces and public life. “This year’s edition puts a spotlight on the link between sport, safety and wellbeing. Investing in girls cannot stop at school fees and textbooks. Girls also need safe spaces to build confidence, discover what they are capable of and practice leadership while they are still young,” Eleme said.

The programme will open on Friday, 9 October 2026, at 10:00 am with an Online Safety and Gender-Based Violence Awareness Training at the National Stadium, Surulere, followed by weigh-in at 4:00 pm.

Competition proper begins on Saturday, 10 October at 8:00 am. Senior girls will compete in Kyorugi (sparring) and Poomsae (forms), while junior girls will compete in Kyorugi.

The 2026 championship is hosted by YEF in partnership with the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lagos State Taekwondo Association, Development Communications (DevComs) Network, Fitness Konnections Health Club and The KB KLUB, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL).

Since inception, the initiative has grown steadily. More than 1,000 young female martial artists from across Nigeria have taken part in the championship and related activities, drawing in coaches, government institutions, civil society, development partners and the private sector.

History of host cities:
– 1st Edition, 2022: Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan, Oyo State
– 2nd Edition, 2023: Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State
– 3rd Edition, 2024: Mambilla Military Barracks, Abuja, FCT
– 4th Edition, 2025: Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Edo State – recognised as an important grassroots platform for girls’ empowerment through sport.
– 5th Edition, 2026: National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State

Over the years, the championship has enjoyed support from State Taekwondo Associations, State Ministries of Sports, certified Taekwondo coaches, martial arts academies, corporate organisations and development partners.

YEF is calling on government institutions, development partners, corporate organisations, media houses, sports bodies, parents and coaches to put their weight behind girls’ sport and youth development.

“A girl who has been supported to believe in herself grows into a woman who contributes to her community and her country, and grassroots sport is one of the most practical ways to get there,” the Foundation said.

The Foundation invites Lagosians and the general public to come to the National Stadium on Saturday to watch Nigerian girls lead.