Sports
NDG: RIVERS ATHLETES EXCITED AT GAMES’ PROSPECTS, Commends NDDC
Rivers State athletes, especially , the basketball players training for the forthcoming second edition of Niger Delta Games ( NDG) billed to hold in Edo State next month are excited over the opportunity of being at the Games once again and the prospect of defending the gold medal won in the event at the maiden edition of the NDG in Uyo Akwa Ibom State last year. In fact, the basketballers have vowed to leave no stone unturned in a bid to retain the medal in Benin City, Edo State.
Some of the players who spoke during one of their training sessions on Monday, at the Basketball Court, Niger/ Bende Streets in Port Harcourt township, said they have been training hard to ensure that they defend their title.
One of the players , Dalhati Wealth, expressed confidence that his team will emerge victorious as they are learning new techniques and tactics to ensure victory.
“As you can see every player is putting in good effort to be mentally and physically fit, including learning new tactics to be ready and maintain the level that saw the team of last year go all the way at the Games.
” We started our preparation early because we want to achieve success at the end of the day, you know that if you don’t train and do not prepare early, you can’t perform when the chips are down “, Wealth said.
He used the opportunity to commend the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for initiating the sports programme with the vision to develop, empower and provide and enduring platform for youths in the region.
” This competition will no doubt discover talents in the region, and it will equally expose us to both local and foreign scouts because you can never tell.
“You know we only have one Youth Games every year but this has added to the calendar towards sports development and the engagement of young people, especially, at the grassroots level” he stated.
Also speaking, another athlete, Hector Tobogu
also commended NDDC for the initiative, saying that the tournament has discovered hidden talents in the area.
“This competition has helped many youths develop interest in different sporting activities and is another way to showcase talents. As an athlete if you don’t compete in tournaments or competitions, you will not know your strength and improvement would be very difficult”, Tobogu said.
The basketball player also expressed optimism that they would make Rivers State proud at the Games in Edo.
By: Tonye Orabere