Sports
Curtain Falls On 6th Edition of NCF/PwC National Under 17 Zonal Championship
Joel Ajayi
The NCF National Under-17 Cricket Championship for Boys and Girls powered by PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC), ended successfully across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.
The 6th edition of the tournament witnessed an expansion to 36 states participating in the event reaching a new record attendance as new talents were discovered across the country, highlighting hope for the next generation of superstars as well as the evidence of the impact of the NCF grassroots development initiative. Yobe and Adamawa states in the North East were the pinnacle of our success story, after years of battling with the challenges of insecurity and the ripple effect from insurgency in that region, cricket finally made a breakthrough.
*SOUTH WEST*
Lagos state dominated the South West qualification by winning the gold medal in both boys and girls category. Oyo and Ogun State finished as runner’s up and 3rd place respectively while in the the girls category, Oyo and Ogun State reversed roles in the table standings.
*SOUTH EAST*
In the south East, Imo State continued to maintain dominance in the boys category while Anambra and Ebonyi State finished 2nd and 3rd on the log. Ebonyi State also were unbeaten in the girls category to stand above all in first place while Anambra and Abia finished 2nd and 3rd to round off the games.
*SOUTH – SOUTH*
A little shift in power was recorded in the South-South qualification as Delta State recorded their first win over Edo in as many attempts to win the top spot in the girls category while Edo and Akwa Ibom state shared the 2nd and 3rd position accordingly. Edo state wasn’t ready to surrender their dominance in the boys category as they recorded a comfortable victory in the finals against Delta State and Akwa Ibom settled for 3rd position.
*NORTH CENTRAL*
Power completely changed hands in the North central zone as Niger state emerged champions in the boys category after suffering a close defeat to Kwara State in the last edition. Benue State, making their first appearance, surprisingly took the 2nd spot while Kogi state settled for 3rd position. The girls category saw the roles reversed with Kogi State taking the first position followed by Kwara state and FCT finishing in 3 place.
*NORTH WEST*
Kaduna State maintained their impressive record in the North West by winning both the boys and girls category as expected while kebbi state won 2nd position, signaling their first medal in the tournament while Zamfara State finished 3rd position in the boys category. Sokoto State was the surprise runner up in the girls category and Kebbi state signed off in 3rd position.
*NORTH EAST*
Perhaps the biggest shocker from the zonal qualification series came from the North East zone as Adamawa state who made their debut appearance emerged champions in the boys category and youth game medalist Taraba State finished as runner up while Gombe State finished in 3rd position. The girls category finished with Gombe State winning the standing and Borno state finished 2nd as only 2 female states participated in that region.
The finals of the tournament is set to take place in Abuja from the 5th – 10th of March 2025.
Sports
AFN COO, Dr Nneka Calls For Increased Investment In Grassroots Athletics, Sports Facilities
By Joel Ajayi
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Operating Officer, COO, Dr Nneka Ikem Anibeze has called on state governments and universities across the country to invest in athletics facilities and grassroots competitions to discover and nurture emerging talents.
Anibeze, who expressed delight at Nigeria’s achievement at the just concluded Youth Olympics where Nigeria won 3 Gold medal in athletic in Dakar, Senegal, said sustained investment in infrastructure, coaching and regular competitions would help the country build a strong pool of homegrown athletes capable of representing Nigeria successfully at international competitions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Youth Olympic Games, she described Nigeria’s performance as encouraging and unprecedented, expressing satisfaction with the progress being recorded by young athletes.
The Senior Assistant Media & Publicity to the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Anibeze particularly commended the National Sports Commission (NSC) for creating opportunities for athletes to participate in international competitions, noting that exposure to major championships was essential for their development.
According to her, taking athletes to competitions, including the youth championships in Oregon, has helped expose young talents to international standards and provided valuable experience for those travelling outside Nigeria for the first time.
Anibeze noted that although some athletes were still developing, their performances demonstrated the benefits of regular international exposure and the need to sustain the momentum.
She said: “I feel very happy that this is happening in our time. It is unprecedented, and I am particularly delighted that we are beginning to see the results of these efforts.
“We must also appreciate the National Sports Commission for making it possible for our athletes to be exposed and given more competitions to participate in.”
The AFN COO stressed the need for Nigeria to look beyond athletes based abroad and deliberately develop the enormous athletic potential within the country.
She maintained that Nigeria had abundant homegrown talents who could compete at the highest level if provided with the right opportunities, facilities and support systems.
Anibeze explained that the federation was working towards securing sponsorship for more competitions, including all-comers meets, grassroots championships and school sports programmes.
Also She stated that plans were underway to organise more intermediate and grassroots competitions in Lagos and other parts of the country, particularly next year, to expand the talent discovery network.
According to her, such competitions would provide opportunities for young athletes to demonstrate their abilities and progress through the national athletics development structure.
She identified inadequate sporting facilities as one of the major challenges confronting athletics development in Nigeria, urging state governors to construct standard running tracks and mini-stadia in their respective states.
“If we have more tracks in our communities, people will not have to wait until they come to Abuja before they can train and compete.
“You can imagine that the girl who just performed was fine-tuned within two or three weeks. If she had access to better facilities and a good coach, the sky would be her limit,” she said.
Anibeze also urged universities to prioritise sports infrastructure, citing the University of Oregon in the United States as an example of how educational institutions could contribute to the development of world-class athletes.
She said Nigerian universities could build athletics tracks to support students with sporting potential, adding that stronger university sports programmes would also improve the country’s representation at the World University Games.
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