Sports
Kwara To Build Golf, Table Tennis Academies
The Kwara State Government is to establish Golf and Table Tennis Academies to train youth to become top players and champions in national and international competitions.
The State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed disclosed this in Ilorin, while speaking with newsmen shortly after he performed the ceremonial tee off at the Kwara at 50 Open Golf Championship, holding at Ilorin Golf Course.
Governor Ahmed said the idea of establishing the two Academies in the state is still on course and promised that the idea would be taken to fruition level to support Kwara Football Academy.
He noted that the government is poised to making the Ilorin Golf Course a centre of attraction and destination for Golfers across the country.
The Governor maintained that the Course would continue to stand top among the comity of courses in Nigeria and West Africa sub-region.
Governor Ahmed encouraged Nigerians to develop interest in the game of Golf, saying that Golf is not an elitist game as being insinuated in some quarters.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Bolakale Ayo said the government would not relent in encouraging sports development in the state, particularly at grassroots level.
Earlier in his remarks, the Captain of Ilorin Golf Course, Layi Maliki had disclosed that the Championship and the Ibadan Open Championship would serve as qualifiers for an international championship billed for Equatorial Guinea. Maliki posited that the competition is to be managed by Sluqfort Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s premier promoters,organisers and consultants on golf tournaments. Maliki disclosed that the competition is sponsored by Bua Nigeria Ltd, a business outfit involved in farm produce such as Rice and Sugar Cane plantation in Lafiagi, Kwara.
Kunle Oyinloye, MD, Bank of Infrastructure, Sterling Bank Plc, Lanre Shittu Motors, Yolas Consultants, Chelfom Ltd, Pyramid Ltd, Harmony Holdings, Kwara Internal Revenue Service ICMA Professional Services and Duravil Engineering Ltd are some of the Co- sponsors of the event.
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.
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