Mammoth crowd at the state-of-art Swimming pool facility at MKO Abiola Sports Arena at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF)
Commendation
Secretary General of the Nigeria Aquatic Federation (NAqF), Taiwo Oriss,on Monday praised Ogun government for building a state-of-the-art swimming pool at MKO Abiola Sports Arena.
Oriss gave the commendation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), held at the finals of the swimming event at the stadium.
NAN reports that the swimming event at the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF) drew a large crowd of enthusiastic spectators to the venue.
Oriss credited the impressive turnout to the state governor’s commitment to developing a world-class aquatic facility for the festival.
“The attention swimming has received is massive and unprecedented. The support is commendable. Ogun State’s efforts deserve recognition.
“The facility here in Abeokuta ranks among the best, possibly the finest swimming pool complex currently available in Nigeria.
“It uniquely features both 50-metre and 25-metre pools, making it suitable for a range of competitive events.
“This modern setup is helping bring swimming into the spotlight, not only in Ogun State but across Nigeria,” he said.
Oriss noted that Ogun also invested in electronic timing devices, touchpads, and a meet mixer to enhance the competition.
“The huge crowd we’re witnessing today is a direct result of the government’s wise investment,” he stated.
He said that some states brought in foreign-based swimmers, yet local athletes still performed impressively against them.
“Our homegrown swimmers have proven themselves, showing they’re not inferior in skill or standards,” Oriss said.
He expressed delight with the festival’s swimming events, describing them as unprecedented in Nigeria’s sporting history.
Spectators interviewed by NAN expressed joy at the swimmers’ performances and the overall standard of the event.
Olusoji Koleade, a fan, described the competition as delightful and commended the athletes for their impressive showings.
“I love swimming and I’m thrilled to be here. This facility is excellent and inspires the swimmers too,” Koleade said.
Another fan, Seyifunmi Tuogbogbo, said she was invited by a friend and was glad she attended the event.
“This was my first live swimming event, and I’m happy I came. The atmosphere was thrilling,” she said.
She added that the appreciation for swimming was encouraging, and she hoped more competitions would be hosted at the venue.
Deborah Okpochini of Team Delta described the facility as top-notch and called for more such centres across Nigeria.
“We need more facilities like this to prepare swimmers for international events,” Okpochini urged.
Former NAqF Technical Director, Samuel Jesimiel, also praised the enthusiastic crowd for turning out in large numbers.
NAN reports that on Day 7, Team Bayelsa won four golds, one silver, and one bronze medal in swimming.
Dorcas Oka secured gold in the women’s 200m backstroke, ahead of competitors from Edo and Rivers States.
Bayelsa’s Beke Williams earned bronze in the men’s 200m backstroke, with Rivers and Delta taking gold and silver, respectively.
Oka also won gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, while Ogun and Delta secured silver and bronze medals.
Bayelsa’s Collins Ebingha won silver in the men’s 50m freestyle event in a closely contested race.
Team Ogun’s Abduljabar Adama claimed gold in the same event, clocking an impressive time of 23.02 seconds.
Obi Ebingha took silver with 23.30 seconds, while Clinton Opute finished third in 23.35 seconds.
In the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay, Bayelsa’s quartet beat Edo and Delta to claim the gold medal.
Bayelsa also triumphed in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, finishing ahead of Ogun and Delta States. (NAN)
