Praises NSC’s Organisational Qualities
One of the contestants for the President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) in the coming elections, Itiako Malik Ikpokpo, has thrown a challenge to track and field stars competing at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival to go for new records.
Ikpokpo, who is the chairman of Dumanis icon and promoter of the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), told journalists at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena that he wants to see good competition in track and field event, which started on Friday.
On Wednesday, a Bayelsa State swimmer, Collins Obi, set a new national record in the 200m free style in 1:55:41secs to lower the old record of 2:04:07secs set by John Ebito of Lagos State at the National Sports Festival in 1975 held in Lagos . Now, Ikpokpo wants athletes to thrill spectators with new records in track and field.
“I want to see quality competition, new winners emerging and records broken,” he said. “I look forward to see young athletes giving the older ones a big challenge. The older ones are doing well, but I want to see the younger ones competing and making sure they break records. That’s what athletics is all about.”
Ikpokpo, a two-term Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Council in Delta State, and also a Deputy National President of ALGON, commended the Chairman of National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko and Director General, Bukola Olopade, for the quality organisation of the sports fiesta.
“First of all, I think that we must say the way it is. It’s a huge, big improvement from what we have always had. And I think it is also because of the personalities involved. You can see the razzmatazz, the excitement and the joy. We are in a swimming venue. You can see how all of us are gathered to watch and cheer up swimmers. So, I think there is a lot of improvement. The idea is that for every festival, there must be improvement. If there’s no improvement, then there is no legacy to be left. It is sporty and it is exciting. It took them more than two years to really get this thing done after the last festival, and I think they have planned well,” he said.
Ikpokpo, whose ALGON school sports festival in Delta State led to the discovering of sprinter, Favour Ofili and others, said he is impressed with the state of infrastructure at MKO Sports Complex, just as he challenged state governments to take the funding of sports seriously.
“I think it is for state governments to realise that they cannot continue to take sports as a social service. Sports is serious business. Sports should be like every other ministry like ministry of Works, ministry of Health, etc. Sports is part of our value chain, and it is part of our life. And so we can’t just put it there. I can tell there are a lot of states that take sports seriously. Delta, Bayelsa, River, you know. I think that should be a general phenomenon around the country that sports development is taken seriously and not treated as just a social service,” he stated.
On the ban slammed on six athletes over anti-doping offences, Ikpokpo said: “The most important thing is that the National Sports Commission deemed it fit, investigated and banned them again.
That is what is important. So the Sports Commission has the presence of mind to be able to continue to do what is right.”
