Sports
Imo Set To Challenge Delta, Others At NSF
The Imo Sports Council has begun a talent hunt for athletes to represent the state in the National Sports Festival billed for Port Harcourt in November.
Director of Sports, Goddy Agbarakwe told newsmen in Owerri that the objective was to discover athletes who could regain the state’s lost glory in sports.
He noted with regret that the state had become a mere participant in the sports fiesta in recent years.
“For a very long time, Imo has been there to participate, but this time, we have planned to change all that for the better”, he said.
Imo came first in 1996 when it hosted the Games, seventh in 2004 and 2006 respectively and eighth in 2008.
Agbarakwe warned Delta, Lagos, Edo and Oyo States that Imo would no longer be a watcher, but would compete with them for medals.
“We have started preparations. We have already started going to every nook and cranny of the 27 local government areas of the state.
“All sports council officials in the local government areas are working hard to fish out budding talents with the association secretaries and coaches”, he said.
The director said the sports council would start weekend sporting activities and organise seminars for the coaches and secretaries.
He said old athletes who had participated in the Games for the three mandatory times would be invited to transfer their skills to the discovered talents.
Agbarakwe said the athletes would be prepared in 25 sports for the team and individual events.
“We are concentrating on all the 25 sports, including the team, track and field as well as combat events”, he said.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
-
Rivers1 day ago
Emulate Fubara’s Transformation Agenda, LG Boss Urges S’South Leaders … Calls For Investment In N’Delta
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Foundation Leads Campaign Against Genetically Modified Foods In Edo
-
Sports2 days ago
BFN Hold Clinic to Empower Coaches
-
Niger Delta2 days ago
Eno Recommits To Accountability, Effective Service Delivery
-
Sports2 days ago
NBA train youths, coaches in Nigeria
-
Business2 days agoNew Naira Notes Still Valid – CBN
-
Sports2 days ago
We’ll use Sports to Promote Peace, create Wealth in Tai…Chairman.
-
Business2 days ago
Onne OMT Port Acquires 2 Cranes For Container Haulage