The Imo State athletes for the 18th National Sports festival in Lagos tagged “Eko games ‘12” will as from next week begin camping exercise in preprations for the games.
Information reaching ‘Imo Trumpeta’ does reveal that the States Commissioner for Sports, Hon Kenneth Emelu who paid and un-scheduled visit to the athletes and coaches who were training at the Dan Anyiam Stadium on Tuesday made this Known, as he informed that his Ministry is making arrangements to get the Athletes into camp possibly by next week.
According to one of the athletes who spoke anonymously, the commissioner also gave directives that all the persons occupying the rooms in the stadium Hostels should vacate them immediately as the athletes will soon be making use of them.
Although the commissioner was not emphatic with the actual day the camping exercise will commence, he however assured that the government is doing everything possible to make them comfortable during the camping exercise. He also charged the athletes not to lose focus advising them to continue working hard to ensure that they achieve the target by wining a medal at the “Eko games”.
It could be recalled that before the last National Sport festival games in “Garden City”, the state also failed to start camping on time for their athletes and though the state won medals, but it was quite glaring that if more was done for the contingent in terms of training (camping on time with good facilities) and good incentives, they would have done better.
Recently, sports pundits in the state have called to the authorities and the Government on the need for an early camping and proper motivation of our athletes preparing for the “Eko games” as it will help to motivate and put them in poll position to win medals during the games.
