Coaches Appeal To Govt To Pay Athletes Allowances

Rivers State Coaches have appealed to the State government to ensure that the allowances owed contracted athletes for the forthcoming 17th national sports festival scheduled to be hosted by the state in November are paid in order to keep them dedicated and motivated.

Chairman of the State Coaches Association, Mr. Reginald Briggs, who made this known Tuesday, in a chat with Tidesports at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex, noted that since the payment of three months allowance covering October, November and December, 2009, there was not been any payment made to the athletes.

According to him, “the athletes have been depending on their coaches for financial support and their other needs. We now take care of then as our family members while our salary is supposed to be for us and our family”, he lamented.

He continued that the athletes would not concentrate without good financial support because they need it to prepare themselves and take care of their personal needs as most of them are the bread winners for their families.

Briggs, who is also the assistant coach of the Rivers State Amateur Wrestling Association explained that, most of the athletes were not around due to accommodation problem and other related issues which could demoralise their zeal for training.

He thus appealed that the State government gives the athletes what is due them to enable them put more effort in their training, in order to compete favourably with their counterparts from other parts of the country when the national fiesta gets underway in November.

It would be recalled that the total number of athletes going for camping ahead of the 17th National Sports meet is 1,500.