Sports
2,000 Athletes, Officials To Participate In Private Universities Games
No fewer than 2,000 athletes and officials from over 20 universities will feature in 10 sports events at the fourth edition of the Nigerian Private Universities Games this December.
Games officials, who disclosed this, in Abuja, said the sports to be featured are athletics, badminton, basketball, chess, football, table tennis, tennis, scrabble, volleyball and swimming.
The Games being organised by the Nigerian Private Universities Games Association (NUPGA) is scheduled for Oghara in Delta.
It is to hold from Dec. 11 to December 21 at the Western Delta University in Oghara.
The Chairman of the 2011 NUPGA Games’ Local Organising Committee, Dr Dosu Malomo, said the association had so far received entries in all the 10 sports.
“We have with us entries in that regard and we have been making preparations to ensure everything is in line with the games’ regulations,” he said.
The President of NUPGA, Dr John Okoro, also disclosed that arrangements had been fully made for all athletes and officials at the games to be insured.
“An insurance policy has been put in place by the association for all athletes and officials, and this has been done by securing the services of Royal Exchange Assurance of Nigeria (REAN),” he said.
Okoro said medals would be presented to winners at the games in Oghara for the first time in the history of the biennial games since its introduction in 2005.
“This has not been possible in the past because of lack of funds to produce medals, with potential games sponsors to be allowed to inscribe their products’ names on the medals,” he said.
Speaking also on the games, the Vice-Chancellor of the host university, Prof. Peter Hugbo, assured participants of an excellent games in Oghara in December.
“We are happy to host this games. We were just two years old when we attended the 2009 games at the American University of Nigeria, and had a little above 200 students then.
“We did fairly well to win 31 medals, including 11 gold, and since then we have matured. This is what we intend to prove this December.
“We can assure that we will host well, as the school management has not been resting on its oars to ensure we achieve success.
“We had even been hoping on having about 30 to 35 universities at the games, and we are ready for an excellent games,” Hugbo, who was represented by the institution’s Registrar, Mr Godwin Egbri, said.
The first edition of the games was held in 2005 at the Igbinedion University in Okada, near Benin, while the second edition was at the Lead University in Ibadan in 2007.
The American University hosted the third edition at Yola in 2009, while the fifth edition has been scheduled for the Joseph Ayo Babalola University at Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun, in 2013.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.