Commissioner Charts Path To Sports Festivals

The Rivers Sports Commissioner, Hon. Mr Fred Igwe, has
called for the adoption of a high ethical conduct in future National Sports
Festivals, to preserve its objectives.

The
call was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt by
the state’s Ministry of Sports.

According to the statement, Igwe stressed that the
propagation of the ideals of the National Sports Festival could improve the
standard of the sports fiesta and eliminate misconduct from both athletes and
officials.

“Organisers of the festival must realise that it is important
to improve ethical conduct at the Games, to encourage states to genuinely
develop budding grassroots talents.

“If ethical conduct is properly applied during the festival,
some of Team Rivers’ personnel wouldn’t have faced the sort of intimidation
they encountered at the just-concluded Games in Lagos,’’ he said.

Igwe complained that Duotimi Gagbe, a swimmer, was suspended
by the Nigerian Swimming Federation (NSF) without any cogent explanation.

He added that but for the timely intervention of the
organisers, the athlete would not have won the gold medal in the event.

According to
the statement, Igwe alleged that there was a conspiracy of sorts to obstruct
Team Rivers from emerging as winner of the Eko 2012 fiesta.

The
commissioner said that in spite of the challenges it had had to contend with,
Team Rivers still performed creditably, to emerge in the second position.

Team Rivers emerged in the second position in the
just-concluded 2012 NSF with 76 gold, 71 silver, and 71 bronze medals.