Johnkennedy Uzoma, Owerri
The Director of Sports in Imo State Sports Commission, Mrs. Chizota Aritola, has expressed optimism that the National Sports Festival could still hold before the end of this year.
She gave the assurance given the fact the COVID-19 pandemic that have been ravaging the entire would is gradually winning down.
According to her, the festival originally scheduled to hold at Benin, in Edo State, early this year, was quickly put off because of the dreaded virus as a measure to contain it’s spread
Aritola told the Imo State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) during a courtesy visit in her office that sporting activities were gradually picking up with the athletes getting prepared to feature in any competition.
She said that with a lot of sporting events already lined up next year, the organisers and the authorities that might not want the festival to be shifted to next year to avoid clash.
She also expressed joy on the level of work on the renovation of Dan Anyiam Stadium assuring that in no distant time, the stadium would bounce back for all sporting activities in the state.
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While she expressed dissatisfaction on the poor state of Sam Okwaraji in Orlu and Okigwe stadia, the Director assured the resolve of the loving Governor of Imo state to ensure immediate renovation of the stadia.
While congratulating the the new executive members on their emergence through a hitch free election conducted by their association, the Director appealed to them to continue to extend the same cooperation by the former executives.
She assured that the Sports Commission in the state would continue to synergize and have a healthy working relationship with SWAN in the state to ensure positive results and success for both the commission and the association.
In his speech earlier, the chairman of SWAN in Imo State, Comrade Everest Ezihe, described the Sport Director as a ‘gift’ to Imo State having contributed enormously to the development of sports.
Ezihe commended the Sport Commission for organizing one of the best sports festival in the country that actually brought home athletes and sports men and women to the state capital from all works of life
He said that the purpose of their visit was to intimate the Director on the newly elected members of SWAN in the state and to stratagise on ways to partner with each other to actualise a company gold.