Sports
SWAN Backs Inclusion Of Shooting Sport In NSF
The President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Honour Sirawoo, has called for the inclusion of Shooting Sport as a competitive event in the National Sports Festival.
This is just as over 50 sports journalists from across the country have issued a communiqué calling for better recognition for shooting sport in view of its medal haul in international sports competitions.
The SWAN President spoke at the closing ceremony of a four-day Media Shooting Sport and Workshop in Abuja organised by the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation (NSSF).
While reiterating that Nigeria must pay attention to other sports, he called on administrators to emulate the NSSF in organizing workshops and seminars for sports journalists, who he says are the platforms upon which talents are discovered and nurtured to stardom.
Sirawoo commended the NSSF for its pioneering role in bringing sports journalists up to date in the technicalities of the sport, in addition to training them in the art of shooting sport.
Also speaking, the President of Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, Brigadier General Lonsdale Adeoye (Rtd) commended SWAN for partnering with the federation to give the sport a lift and also make it more popular among Nigerians.
He advocated more support for shooting sport, saying apart from its medal haul prospects, it was capable of putting Nigeria on the map of shooting sport nations.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the workshop, the participants commended the “NSSF under the leadership of its President, Brig. General Lonsdale Adeoye (Retired), Board members and the National leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) under the pragmatic leadership of President Honour Sirawoo for providing the platform for sport journalists to be equipped with requisite knowledge and skills in reporting shooting sport.”
While assuring of maximum cooperation with the NSSF in reporting the game and creating the required public knowledge and awareness about the sport, they called on other sports federations to emulate the NSSF in organising similar training and workshops for sports Journalists in order to achieve the tripod of sports development (administration, participation and promotion) in the country.
They also decried the non participation of Shooting sport in the National Sports Festival (NSF) and call on the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sport development to see to the inclusion of the game in subsequent festivals, while calling for the upgrading of the Nigeria national shooting range facilities and organization of regular competition across the country.
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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