Abia To Host Zonal Elimination Ahead Eko 2012

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Reports say Abia will on Friday, 21 September host the zonal elimination stage of the 2012 National Sports Festival to be hosted by Lagos State, says Isaac Ogbonna, the Secretary of Abia Sports Council.

Ogbonna told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, Abia, that Abia and Imo were the only states that would feature in the zonal elimination stage for the ball events.

He said that such events as basketball, handball, volley ball, football, Abula would be competed for.

Ogbonna said that the state was poised to take both the elimination competition and the 2012 Sport Festival itself by storm.

“Abia State is known to be a team that produces the best athletes and we are a state to reckon with when you talk of South East and may be South South.

“We are preparing very well, if you go to the stadium now we have beehive of activities. Our athletes are training.

“In fact we have redoubled our training period from morning and evening. So we are preparing very well.

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“The zonal elimination organised by the National Sports Commission is between Abia and Imo. We are only two states in the zone. Abia will be hosting because we have the facilities.

“We have about two indoor halls that will take of basketball; volleyball; handball then football can be played at Williams because of the re-grassing of the stadium.”

Ogbonna said that hosting the event would be an advantage to athletes from the state “because it will afford our athletes that have never attended such events the opportunity to see it”.

He said that the state had come of age in all sporting activities, adding that the state would compete for the top spots when the competition kicks off in Lagos later in the year.

“The working environment is very conducive. Four of our athletes Obioma Aligekwe, Ikechukwu Obichukwu, Anthony Ulonnam and Ifeanyi Nnajio all represented Nigeria at the Paralympics.

“Out this four, three of them; Obichukwu Ikechukwu, Anthony Ulonam and Ifeanyi Nnajio won silver medals in their various events.

“Obi could not make it because of injury. So I think it’s a very good outing for the state.”

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