Chioma Ajunwa Under-16 athletic championship begins in Umuahia 

The maiden edition of the Chioma Ajunwa Under-16 Athletics Championship for Secondary Schools in Abia State began yesterday at the Umuahia Township Stadium with 34 schools participating.

Flagging off the competition organized by the foundation founded by Mrs. Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, a 1996 Olympics gold medalist, Abia State Commissioner for Sports, Dr. Martins Okoji, on behalf of the State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, commended Ajunwa-Opara for partnering the state to organise the competition.

Okoji described the event as a commendable initiative that would help the state discover budding talents from the grassroots, adding that government had created an enabling environment for private sector involvement in developing sports through corporate sponsorships.  

Ajunwa-Opara said that her Foundation partnered the Abia government to bridge the gap in sports development in the state, adding that she worried over the declining level of athletics in the state despite the abundance of talents.

According to her, “Having heard that for many years, sports have not been what it used to be in the state, I decided to start the competition.

“Abia which has been home to me, in the past produced many outstanding athletes, who excelled in national and international competitions.”