States begin registration for NDSF trials

Participating states in the maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) are expected to begin registering their athletes ahead of internal trials, which begins on February 20, and end on March 3, organisers of the festival have said.

The trials are expected to begin at the local council level and lead to each state’s team selection for the festival. Co-Chairman of the technical Committee for the festival, Enefiok Udo-Obong, announced the date, yesterday, while also providing registration details and other programmes of events for the festival.

“We have already determined that the Festival finals will hold in Akwa Ibom State, from April 1 to 8. Registration forms are being distributed to the States Liaison Committees that would supervise the local council and federal constituency trials. The forms can be obtained from local council, federal constituencies, and senatorial district headquarters of each member state,” Udo-Obong, an Olympics champion in 4x400m relay said.

He also announced that the organising committee has fixed March 10 to 12 for state trials to select the contingents that will be registered from March 15 to 20.

Other pre-festival activities include closed camping of registered states’ athletes, and coaches from March 25 to 31.

“We are using this festival to prepare Niger Delta states for the National Sports Festival as we hope to use the NDSF as a springboard for member states to select their very best and prepare them adequately for the national competition,” Udo-Obong explained.

About 2,886 athletes are expected to compete for honours in 17 sports at the festival.The maiden NDSF is open to the nine states that make up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).