Sports
Paralympics: Ex-Coach Urges FG To Reward Athletes Bounteously
As the Rio 2016
Paralympics ended yesterday in Brazil, Nigerians expecting the arrival of Team Nigeria to the Games have urged the Federal Government to welcome the athletes bounteously.
The Tidesports source reports that the team had won a total of 12 medals, including eight gold, two silver and two bronze to place 16th on the medals log.
Nigeria had at the London 2012 Games secured 13 medals, including six gold, five silver and two bronze.
A former national coach of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Andrew Ekanem, says the team deserves a bounteous reception because they achieved what the able-bodied athletes could not.
Ekanem told newsmen yesterday in Lagos that the country’s athletes deserved to be celebrated on their arrival from the Games and appreciated for the medals haul.
“Their performance simply creditable, these are a set of athletes living with physical disabilities but committed their time and energy to training in spite of their challenges.
“Now they have invested their time and energy to bring glory to the nation, therefore it is necessary to in return celebrate and reward them very well.
“They won the medals without any of them getting involved in any drug issue, thereby upholding the integrity of Nigeria by all standards,’’ the former coach said.
He said the reward for the Para-athletes would set a good platform to encourage more physically challenged to develop their individual skills in available sports.
“Everybody is waiting to see how the government will treat these athletes who have globally shown to the world that Nigeria has abundant talents.
“Good reward for the athletes will attract more physically challenged persons to build careers in Para-sports to contribute their quota to Nigeria’s sport development,’’ Ekanem said.
According to him, there are a large number of such persons shying away from getting into sports because of being addressed as disabled.
Team Nigeria took part in Powerlifting, Para-table tennis and Para-athletics at the Games which held from September 5 to September 18 in Brazil.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Featured5 days agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
Politics5 days agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20
-
Sports5 days ago
Football Pundit Lauds Chelle’s Effort In Monitoring Nigeria League Players
-
News5 days ago
RSG Reaffirms Commitment To Quality Education
-
Niger Delta5 days agoFubara Charges Graduands On Discipline, Professionalism … As IAUE Holds 44th Convoc
-
News1 hour agoAfenifere Raises Alarm Over Attacks On Oyo Schools …Says Yorubaland Now Under Siege
-
News1 hour agoFubara, Wife Hail Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative …As Over 6,800 Families Benefit From Largesse In Rivers
-
News1 hour agoFG To Unveil Radio Station For Adult Education