18th NSF: Rivers To Participate In 23 Events …Qualifies For 12 Team Sports

Super Eagles striker,Peter Utaka in action for Nigeria in a recent outing

Rivers State contingent to the forthcoming, 18th National
Sports Festival tagged ‘Eko 2012’ scheduled for Lagos between November and
December this year will take part in 23 sporting events at the fiesta.

According to the State’s Director of Sports, Sir Daobu
Harry, the events which include team and individual events are athletics,
basketball, badminton, boxing chess, cricket and cycling.

Others include gymnastics, hockey, handball, Judo, special
sports, Deaf Sports, Table tennis, taekwondo, traditional sports, volleyball,
weight lifting, wrestling, scrabble and hockey.

Sir Harry while speaking with newsmen in his office on
Monday reiterated the state’s desire and commitment to defending the overall
winner’s title it achieved as hosts in the last edition of the festival, Garden
City Games 2011.

He said that Team Rivers would continue its training
schedule aim at ensuring that it excel at Eko 2012 through impressive
performance.

He described the state’s drastic and continuous training
timeline over the years as reason for its successes.

So far, the state has successfully concluded two phases of
camping ahead of the forthcoming sports festival.

“We have had two sets of closed camping in August and
September, the final camping exercise would take us to the festival,” said Sir
Harry.

Already, the state’s good and early preparation paid good
dividend at the just concluded zonal elimination competition held in Uyo, Akwa
Ibom State at the weekend.

Out of 14 team sports, Rivers qualified for 12, only missing
out in the male and female football events.

“Our performance in Uyo indeed indicates that we have been
preparing , and God helping us, we would return victorious from Lagos. Our
sportsman and women are dedicated, hardworking and in high spirit to win gold
at the festival,” stated the Director.