Sports
Police Games : Zone 2 celebrates victorious athletes
While the zone won overall medals, it however was 13 gold medals behind the Force Headquarters, which won 103 gold while zone 2 won 90 gold medals.
The zone won 79 silver medals while the Force Headquarters won 65 silver medals. On the Bronze table, Zone 2 came first with 77 while the Force Headquarters won 75.
Umuahia came third with 44 gold medals, 26 silver and 23 bronze medals.
Out of the zones, Bauchi came 18th after ending the competition with zero gold, six silver and 15 bronze medals.
Speaking at the Zonal Command Headquarters in Onikan, Lagos, where he officially received the Zone 2 sport contingents, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Zone 2, Adegoke Fayoade, expressed optimism that some of the winners would represent Nigeria at the Olympics and do the country proud like Chioma Ajunwa.
“I salute our athletes for being good representatives”
It was as if we were not going to meet up when the competition was announced, however, despite the late preparation, our team excelled and made Lagos and Ogun proud.
“Coming out with the total of 246 medals, being the highest in the competition shows that we are the real champion. Even though the Force Headquarters came first with the highest number of gold medals, we still give kudos for our athletes for their outstanding performance. I have no doubt in my mind that the athletes in the Nigeria Police Force will represent Nigeria.
“I appreciate the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun for allowing the game to continue and made sure this was a success. The Commissioner of Police in Lagos and Ogun State provided the logistics and support in other ways, and the chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department (ZCID) for Zone 2, Olubode Fakeye for being with the athletes through the event. His presence motivated the athletes to attain the level. We thank God for safety.
“The next event is in two years and I am urging the athletes to start preparing,” he said.
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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