Niger Delta Games, Breeding Ground For Athletes Development – Sabina Chikere
As the 2nd edition of the ongoing Niger Delta Games enters Day 4 today, the Executive Director Sports Development and Operations, Edo State Sports Commission, Sabina Chikere has described the Games as a breeding ground for development of athletes in the region.
According to her, the essence of the tournament is to develop athletes in the Niger Delta region who will be nurtured to become future champions.
” We’ re using this Games to develop our athletes because we discovered that we don’t really have many athletes at the top of the ladder. It’s also an opportunity for each of the states in the region to be able to develop their athletes and with it stand out the region in the country, so that other regions can emulate what’s happening in the Niger Delta region.
” The purpose of the tournament is also to get raw talents from the hinterlands and bring them up to the elite level and am happy, we’ re achieving that objective”, she said.
Chikere who is also a member of the screening committee of the Games explained that the committee did their best towards ensuring that only those within the age bracket of 19 years participates in the championship which is an U-20 event
” It will interest you to know that before the commencement of the Games, messages were sent out to all the states involved in the competition, spelling out conditions that qualifies one to participate in the tournament.
” One of the criteria is that since it’s an U-20 event, it’s expected that a participant should be 19 years in the year of the competition. Apart from this, the person must be an indigene of the state that they’re representing, They are also expected to come along with their NIN, birth certificate and letter of Local Government and state of origin. So, it’s really not a difficult thing and I can beat my chest to say that the screening committee did a good job.
On the issue of talent identification at the Games, she noted that there are people in charge of talent hunt just as she expressed happiness that a lot of young talents have been identified in the course of the Games.
The Executive Director while expressing her delight with the successes recorded so far in the Games, posited that it will keep on improving even as she expressed confidence that a better job will be done by next edition.
” I want to say that I’m happy that we’re having a good tournament and the athletes and coaches are happy with what we’re doing. But it will keep on improving because we cannot get it right in one day. I still believe that by next year, there will still be areas of improvement.
The amiable sports administrator attributed the seamless organisation of the tournament by Edo State to team work and dedication.
” Edo State has been able to put up a good championship because of team work and dedication. We work at the same pace and see ourselves as one, sharing ideas together and working hard with committement and dedication which is the outcome of what you’re seeing today”, she concluded.
