Handball Patron Calls For Adequate Funding Of Federations

A patron of the Rivers State Handball Association (RSHA), Barrister Kwashi Thompson has advocated early release of funds to sports federations and association in order to engender early preparations ahead of tournaments.

This, he believes will ensure that sports in the country regain its enviable status in the country.

Barrister Thompson made this assertion while fielding questions from sports journalists during the recently concluded Children’s Holiday Sports Training programme held at Port Harcourt Club.

According to him, the bureaucratic bottle-necks associated with funding by the national Sports Commission (NSC) had been an impediment to sports development in the country, stressing that administrative bottlenecks should not be reason for the budget of Sports Federations to be delayed unduly.

The state patron of the Handball Association noted that the Federations should be allowed to carry out their administrative functions while the commission supervises them. He urged the sport’s governing body to go back to the drawing board and refer to how sports was being organised during its successful years in the country.

Barrister Thompson, who is also a consultant to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Handball project also reiterated the need for grassroots sports development, especially age group competitions to produce young athletes that will take over from the aging ones.

He, however, suggested that for companies to sponsor sports, they should be given tax rebates by government, so that they would be encouraged to continue the sponsorship.

Meanwhile, the 2nd edition of the Niger Delta Inter Secondary School Handball Championship will hold before the end of the year.

Collins Barasimeye