24th June, 2013
The Ekiti State Sports Council on Sunday said that it had intensified preparation to ensure a successful outing at the 19th National Sports Festival (NSF) in Calabar next year.
Benjamin Adewumi, the General Manager of the council, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the state started preparation immediately after the 18th edition in Lagos last year. Adewunmi said that early reparation would help to improve the morale of the state’s athletes ahead of the biennial competition.
“We started preparation immediately after the Eko 2012 to prepare our athletes ahead of the 2014 festival in Calabar.
“Starting preparation early will help to hone the competitive spirit of our athletes for the festival.Our coaches are also working round the clock to ensure that they bring the best out of the athletes,’’ he said.
Adewunmi commended the state government for providing enabling platform to ensure that the state would have a good outing in Calabar next year.
“We are receiving all the needed support from the government and Governor Kayode Fayemi. He has pledged his continuous support to the sports council,’’ he said.
Adewunmi said that the state featured in most of the events in the last festival and pledged that the state would feature in all events in Calabar. NAN reports that Ekiti occupied the 15th position at the last festival with five gold, one silver and nine bronze medals.According to the manager, the state will improve on its medal haul in Calabar to be in the first ten.