NAN-S-19
Deaf
By Kemi Ajayi
Lagos, March 20, 2017 (NAN) Amuda Yusuf, President, West Africa Deaf Sports Union (WADSU), on Monday said that the body would intensify efforts to improve the profile of its annual West Africa Football Championship.
Yusuf told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos through a sign interpreter that the 7th edition of the tournament would hold in Senegal in August.
He said that the competition, annually supported by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has encouraged deaf footballers since its inception.
“We will be working hand in hand with the host of this year’s West Africa football tournament to ensure that this edition is different from the previous ones.
“Since it started, the highest number of participating countries is eight; and we have more than eight West African countries in the continent. So, we want more countries to be part of it.
“We are grateful to ECOWAS for supporting the competition in their own little way, and we also look forward to their continuous support.
“We also hope other bodies in the region will support the competition,’’ he said.
Yusuf appealed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and privately-owned organisations to support the national deaf football team to enable them to feature in the tournament.
He noted that the country was not part of the 6th edition of the competition last year in Accra, Ghana due to paucity of funds.
“It is not a good thing that a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa will miss a competition of this nature that promotes regional co-existence and harmony.
“Nigeria have won this competition three times; I see no reason why we should miss the competition,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the country won the competition in 2011, 2012 and 2014. (NAN)
KOA/FLP/PDE
===========
(Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Peter Ejiofor)