Sports

“Early Preparations, Athletes Welfare Are Top Priorities for Olympics, All-Africa Games” – Sports Minister

Published

1 year ago

October 17, 2023

…As the Ministry set to secure training camps within and outside Nigeria for athletes

The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has stated that the Ministry will prioritize welfare, early camping, and preparations for athletes, as Team Nigeria counts down to the All-Africa Games and Summer Olympic Games, to be held next year in Accra and Paris respectively.

The Minister made this known during a chat with his media team, in Abuja, as he reiterated the importance of starting preparations early enough. He added that providing training tours for athletes early enough will not only put them in proper shape, but under the right conditions, it will also help them acclimatize to anticipated weather experiences.

“In the build-up to the World Athletics Championships, the Jamaican track team spent about a month in Budapest,” the Minister narrated. “You can not compare the performance of athletes that had this kind of exposure before a tournament, to athletes that didn’t have the same”

“One of the things that the Ministry is going to do, will be to ensure that it secures training camps within or outside Nigeria (as necessary) early enough for athletes to prepare properly, acclimatize, and get exposure to facilities before championships.

With some elite Nigerian athletes plying their trade abroad, it holds a two-faced reality for the nation. While this means some athletes are exposed to world-class working environments, it could also lead to scheduling conflicts for pre-championship training camps. Senator Enoh concluded that the Ministry will continually work with athletes and Federations to ensure plans are executed smoothly without jeopardy.

The All-African Games is scheduled to be held in Accra, Ghana between March 8 – 23, 2024. Also, the Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris, France between July 24 – 11 August, 2024.

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Sports

NDSF: Gov Eno lauds NDDC , Dangles Cash Rewards to State’s Athletes for Medals

Published

18 hours ago

March 27, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, the Akwa Ibom State Governor has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for organizing the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), noting that it will help boost and promote sports tourism in the region while also discovering talents for national and international competitions.

“This is a huge opportunity provided by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and I want to encourage everyone of you to take this seriously. From here, talents could be discovered for national and international competitions,” the governor said during a visit to the state’s athletes camp at the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre (DASAC) in Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom local government area.

The NDSF host state is also aiming to top the Medals table as the state Governor during the visit promised cash reward for podium finishers.

He made the promise when he addressed some athletes from the state during an unscheduled visit to the DASAC camp.

Eno said his administration remains committed to sports development and urged the athletes to reciprocate the gesture by making the state proud at the games, assuring that the government will reward all the medalists.

“We cannot host this event and don’t win medals, so for every Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, there will be reward. I will receive you immediately after the games and I will reward the winners.

Over 300 athletes will represent Akwa Ibom in 17 sports at the Niger Delta Games starting from April 1 to 9 across different centres in the state.

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