Sports
PH Polo Club Plans Mega Golden Jubille Tourney
The Port Harcourt Polo Club is planning a mega tournament for its 2022 annual competition to mark its golden jubilee, 50 years of existence. The tournament tagged Port Harcourt Polo Club Golden Jubilee Tournament is being scheduled to hold from January 8-15,2022 in Port Harcourt.
This was made known to newsmen by the President of the club, Engr Chukwudi Dimkpa, during a media chat on Wednesday. According to him, the 50th anniversary tournament is going to be big, attractive and well organized to bring the game of Polo, entertainment, revenue and tourism to Rivers people and beyond.
In fact, the one week tournament will have the best of the best in activities that would not only show-case Polo to the world, but the cultural heritage of Rivers people.
Engr Dimkpa disclosed that more than 15 very good teams from across the world, including Argentina, UAE, Nigeria and other private firms would be part of the tournament.
Also, some new innovations, including a beginner’s tournament, which is designed to encourage beginners to play the game, maiden OB Lulu Briggs Cup and Cookey-Gam Cup would be part of competitions at the event.
The President stated that renowned artistes world-wide were being put in line to thrill the crowd throughout the tournament, especially in a mega opening and closing ceremonies. He subsequently called on the people of the state, sports lovers, business and corporate communities to identify with and be part of the tournament.
He opined that the tournament, if taken advantage of would provide business opportunities to small and medium scale business people and corporate organisations within and around the state.
However, in view of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, the Polo tournament and all activities at the club are to be in strict adherence to protocols aimed at combating and stopping the spread of the pandemic.
The President said that the club took Covid-19 issues seriously and adhere to existing protocols, which have seen them vaccinating more than 80per cent of staff and members.
He added that the club under his watch wanted to make Polo and itself more excising and to shake Port Harcourt and South-South and make the club the envy of all.
By: Gabriel Nwanetanya
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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