Indoor sports hall to wear new look as accreditation opens

The Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos is expected to wear a new look ahead of the 2017 FIBA Africa Zone 3 club championship eliminations, which starts on October 19, 2017.

According to the vice president of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Babatunde Ogunade, the move became necessary to put the venue in proper shape in readiness for the competition, which will feature 32 clubs (men and women) from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Liberia.

With no structural changes expected to be made, the LOC chairman said the NBBF would make the necessary facelift to some of the facilities inside the Indoor Sports hall, which last hosted a continental event more than six years ago, when First DeepWater hosted the FIBA African Women Club Championship in 2011.

“We have concluded plans at the federation level to ensure that we put the venue in good condition to host a massive event such as this. This will be the first time in a long while that the federation will be volunteering to host an international competition, so we need to make a very bold statement.”
Listing some of the areas to be touched up inside the hall, Ogunade said, “The lights will be replaced with modern and latest energy saving industrial bulbs which will reduce the heat inside the hall, help the press carry out their duties while the players will also play without any inhibition.

“The toilets which have continued to be a major source of worry will be put in good shape because of the magnitude of this event where Nigeria will be hosting dignitaries from 8 countries alongside FIBA Africa high ranking officials.”