Uniport Can Represent Nigeria At Olympics -Vice Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), Prof. Joseph Ajienka, has said that the victorious Uniport team at the just concluded West Africa University Games (WAUG) can represent Nigeria at the London Olympics.

The V-C said this at a reception organised for the victorious team last week in Choba community where the university is located.

Ajienka added that with the abundant potential and talent in the team, it could represent the country creditably at international tourneys.

Team Uniport topped the medals table at the just concluded 13th WAUG, hosted by the University of Ilorin in Kwara.

Team Uniport won the tournament with a total of 93 medals, made up of 48 Gold, 26 Silver and 19 Bronze.

The University of Benin came a distant second with a total of nine Gold, five Silver, and nine Bronze medals, while the Benson Idahosa University also in Benin, came third with eight Gold, seven Silver, and four Bronze medals.

He debunked the rumour that the university hired professional athletes to help the institution excel in the tournament.

Ajienka maintained that the Uniport team was made up of bona fide students of the university, who were able to combine education with sport activities.

“These are purely hardworking students who have won the three editions of the competition successively. “

The vice chancellor revealed that the university had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Sports Commission to make the university an Olympic centre.

“We are waiting for the African Olympic Committee to approve this request. “

Speaking at the event, Ms Ifiezibe Gagbe, who won a total of nine gold medals in swimming to emerge the most valuable athlete at the competition, urged government to provide the enabling environment for swimmers to excel.

Gagbe, a Bayelsa State indigene and a 300-level student of the Department of Physical and Health Education, said government could support students by ensuring that both their academic work and sport run concurrently.

“Normally when we go to competitions, we camp just two weeks before competitions; and I want government to keep us in camp like it does for footballers.

“Let government look at every other sport like that. Footballers can win just one gold medal, but swimming can give 30, 40 gold medals.

“Combining sports and education is very hard; it’s because of the love that I have for sports, if not I would have stopped it because sometimes after training, when you come back, to read is a problem because of fatigue; your body becomes weak because of the need for sleep.”