17th NSF: Games Village Bubbles With Contingents …Competition Begins, Today

The Games Village of the 17th National Sports Festival, Garden City Games 2011 situated at the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, premises has come alive with the arrival of about 32 states contingents, as at press time.

Tidesports gathered that out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory being expected for the games, five states, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Benue were yet to be processed as at last night.

However, as the contingents, who arrived settle down in competition in some events, cycling, golf, dart among others will commence today at different centres.

Team Rivers’ Festival Secretary , Mr Barisi Wifa said in an interview that the state would feature in golf and cycling, today.

Wifa restated Rivers preparedness to win the festival, declaring that the athletes were in high spirits for the games.

Meanwhile, a member of the Local Organising Committee’s Media and Publicity Sub-Committee, Olalekan Ige has said that the accreditation exercise for journalists had gone full swing.

He disclosed that about 300 applications and counting were being attended to already and journalists may start getting their accreditation tags from today.

He urged the journalists to exercise patience as everything was being done to ensure they have the necessary clearance to do their job.

Tonye Orabere

From Left: Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Alexander Polyakov; Director of Protocool, Office of the Vice President, Mr Ladan Sidi, and Vice President Namadi Sambo, during Vice President's meeting with United Company Rusal, lead by the Russian Ambassador in Abuja on Monday.