A retired national tournament boxing officer, Chief Jasper Okoro, says the Ebonyi contingent to the upcoming National Sports Festival in Edo, will live up to expectation.
Okoro, the immediate past South-East Zonal Secretary of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday in Abakaliki.
Okoro while commending the state governor for ensuring that the state contingent participates in the zonal elimination series said that the state’s athletes have the potential to succeed.
“This should serve as a motivation to athletes who will participate in Edo 2020, and I am impressed with the standard displayed in their trainings for the competition.
“I am also more assured of their performances due to the long period they spent in training as a result of postponement of the festival and the personal training they have undertaken,” he said.
He said that the state has produced several outstanding athletes with intimidating records such as late Sam Ibiam ( aka Ibiam the Cat, first Nigerian national goalkeeper for two decades the ‘50s and ‘60s) and Kingsley Ottah, former captain of the national hockey team in the ‘70s.
“We also have African gold medalists: late Prof. Omiko Akani, Glory Ginger-Eke (nee Utom) Grace Ugwube and Egwu Oko with numerous gold and silver medalists in both continental and national sports, Obinna Okoro (2009 FIFA U-17 world cup silver medalist) among others.
Okoro charged the athletes to use the opportunity to showcase their talents in order to realise their sporting ambitions.
“Excelling in both the zonal elimination series in Owerri, Imo and the Sports Festival in Edo will afford them the opportunity of being selected for national assignments, which would catapult them to continental and world stages,” he said.
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