Anambra School Sports Takes Off May 17, As Festival Returns After 10 Years
The first Anambra Sports Solution Initiative (ASSI) school sports festival will commence on May 17, official says.
The festival will have no fewer than 15,000 pupils and students from public and private schools in Anambra are expected take part in the festival.
Patrick-Estate Onyedum, Chairman of Anambra Sports Development Commission (ASDC) said this during an interactive session with members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Anambra chapter in Awka.
The School Sports Festival would be the first in the state after about a decade.
Onyedum who was represented by Oluyomi Sule, the technical consultant to the Commission said the competition which was grouped into U13 and U17 was open to all public and private primary and secondary schools across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
He said registration for participating schools would be distributed from April 28 to May 12 at no cost and could be obtained at the Sports Commission office, LGA Education Department Offices and Private School Proprietors Association Representatives.
Onyedum said the event would commence on May 17 with community schools competition through LGA and Senatorial District qualifiers and end with state finals between June 21 and June 24.
He said Athletics, Basketball, Chess, Football, Scrabble, Swimming, Table Tennis,, Tennis, Taekwondo and Volleyball would feature as competitive sports while Cricket would come in as a demonstration game.
“It is a development programme, so we are starting from the grassroots and we do not want to leave any child out. We are calling on principals and headteachers to ensure that their students and pupils take part.
“On the whole, we expect that no fewer than 15, 000 students across the communities and Local Government Areas will take part in the various sports at the preliminary stage and 3,600 will qualify for state finals.
“Registration form is free for all schools in this first edition, the students stand to get scholarships while the winning schools will get facilities as rewards,” he said.
Onyedum said winners from the festival would be selected for Team Anambra contingent to National Youth Games and also be part of home grown athletes to the next National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
In his remark, Anthony Oji, Chairman of SWAN in Anambra commended the Commission for its commitment to reinvent sports in Anambra.
Oji who noted that grassroots was the bedrock of sustainable sports development recalled that the last school sports festival in Anambra waa in 2012.
He however, called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to fund the sports and ensure it succeeded.
“We are not impressed with the level of attention sports has received from the governor, we expect him to provide the necessary for this project,” he said.
