Sports
Sports Minister Inspects Ikom Township Stadium
Joel Ajayi
The Honourable Minster of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh on saturday embarked on an inspection of facilities in Ikom Township stadium in Cross Rivers State and expessed satisfaction at the state of facilities he met in the stadium.
The Minister who visited the stadium weekend where he met a sizeable number of residents of Ikom town and its environs engaged in different types of sporting activities inside the stadium. He said that he was impressed by the large turn out of sports loving citizens who thronged the stadium in numbers for the weekend exercise which has become a regular practice.
He said,” I am impressed with the turn out of men and women,boys and girls involved in different kinds ot sporting activities even if to keep fit. Fitness is one of the components that the Ministry of Sports Development would like to focus on.”
The Minister stated that a physically fit and mentally alert population is a productive one which in itself will reduce health hazards and pressure on our health facilities.
He praised Senator Liyel Imoke,the former Governor of Cross River state for the vision of building stadia at Ikom and Ogoja Local Government Area’s respectively.
Senator Owan Enoh who expressed his determination to make facilities more functional promised to leverage his engagements with the private sector to attract investments that will lead to the upgrade of sporting facilities in the stadium.
The Federal Government he stressed is currently saddled with maintaining its various facilities amidst enormous financial challenges. He promised to embark on inspection of the Ogoja and Calabar stadia very soon, to see first hand the state of the facilities.
” I leave here with very positive impressions, very determined and driven to see what the Federal Ministry of Sports Development can cause to happen here. My hope is that at the end of my tenure as minister of Sports Development,something significantly different would have happened to sports in our country”, he said.
Sports
Gang James Makes History Despite Second-Place Finish in Abuja Half Marathon
Cyril Ogar
Ethiopia’s Gemechu Tolosa Daba on Saturday emerged winner of the men’s elite race at the third edition of the PremiumTrust Bank Abuja City International Half Marathon, finishing ahead of Nigeria’s Gang James, who set a new national record.
Tolosa crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 1:01:56 to claim the top prize of $8,000 in the 21km race, while Nigeria’s James finished second in 1:01:58, setting a new Nigerian national record.
James also emerged as the best Nigerian runner, earning $6,000 for his second-place finish in the international category, alongside ₦1.5 million as the winner of the local runners’ category.
Kenya’s Lampard Kingoo finished third in 1:01:59, while compatriot Enos Kipruto came fourth in 1:02:06. Uganda’s Julius Ochieng completed the top five with a time of 1:02:27.
The race, which attracted more than 5,000 participants, started opposite the Federal Fire Service on Mohammed Buhari Way and ended at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the race, James expressed delight at setting a new national record in front of his home crowd, describing the achievement as a reward for his hard work and dedication.
“I am very happy to break the National Record. I worked so hard for this moment, and to do it here in Abuja, in front of my people, makes it even more special,” he said.
He added that competing against some of Africa’s finest long-distance runners inspired him to deliver his best performance.
“Running against Gemechu and the Kenyans pushed me to give my best. I knew I had to stay with them till the end. This record is just the beginning for me,” James said.
The third edition of the competition attracted elite athletes from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, among other countries, with about 50 international elite runners participating.
The event, sponsored by PremiumTrust Bank and organised by Nilayo Sports Management, recorded increased international participation compared with previous editions.
The competition offered prizes ranging from $8,000 to $500 for international participants, while Nigerian athletes received cash rewards ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦2 million.
The successful outing further highlighted Abuja’s growing potential as a destination for international road-running competitions, while providing Nigerian athletes with an opportunity to compete against some of the continent’s best long-distance runners.
The colourful event also featured musical performances by Nigerian artistes, entertaining athletes, guests and spectators before, during and after the presentation of prizes to the winners.
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