13th November, 2012
The Niger Director of Sports, Baba Sheshi, on Monday said that the state’s contingent to the 18th National Sports Festival would arrive in Lagos on 26 November.
The festival, tagged “Eko 2012’’, will hold between 27 November and 9 December.
Sheshi, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the athletes are currently finalising their strategies to win medals in a closed camp.
He said the state would feature in Taekwondo, Squash, Volleyball, Wrestling, Special Sports, Tennis, Basketball, Table Tennis, Scrabble, Weightlifting, Judo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Handball, Athletics, Football and Table tennis for the disabled.
The Director of Sports also said that Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger had been supportive of the preparations, to ensure a successful outing.
“Team Niger is in closed camping; the coaches are putting strategies in place to ensure the readiness and the fitness of the athletes.
“Already, the athletes and their coaches are well motivated financially and every necessary moral support is being provided to them.
“The sports festival is like the Nigerian version of the Olympics, hence, we in Niger State are attaching a lot of seriousness to it,” Sheshi said.
He said that they were working tirelessly to improve on their last outing in Port-Harcourt, where the state went home with nine gold, two silver and seven bronze medals.
Sheshi said that an advance team would be sent to Lagos on 22 November, to facilitate Team Niger’s arrival to the Games.