17th NSF: Cultivate Friendship At Games, Director Tells Athletes

The Director of Sports, Ebonyi State, Emma Utobo has advised athletes in Nigeria to show commitment to which ever sports they are doing and to be friendly in the on-going National Sports Festival (NSF), Garden City Games 2011.

Utobo gave the advice in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex, Port Harcourt.

The director, a sports veteran, who won gold medal in weight lifting, in Rivers 1988 NSF, stated that sports festival is a place where we can meet old friends and also make new ones.

“To me, sports is all about keeping in touch, making friends and breaking new grounds.”

This is my second sports festival here in Port Harcourt. The first time I came here, I was an athlete. I won a gold medal in 1988, in weight lifting and I am happy returning this time as an official,” Utobo said.

According to him, the Ebonyi State athletes were highly motivated, both financially and otherwise for the games, adding that his athletes were determined to achieve positive results in the festival.

“We started most of our games on Thursday. We have lost one in boxing event and won the first football match in the female category. Generally, the athletes are doing fine,” Utobo said.

Tonye Orabere