NAN-S-23
Swimming
By Dorcas Jonah
Abuja, Jan. 19, 2017 (NAN) The dredging of the Jabi Lake in Abuja will soon commence ahead of the President Buhari National Open Water Swimming Championship, a member of the committee said on Thursday.
Kayode Adeniyi, a member of the committee, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the competition is slated for Feb. 15 to Feb. 22.
He said the championship, which was earlier slated to hold in January, was moved forward in order to ensure proper planning.
“We want to clean the lake of reptiles to make the place safe ahead of the championship.
“We are expecting 300 swimmers for the competition, and so far 27 states have registered,’’ the committee member said.
Adeniyi, who is Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), FCT Chapter, said all was set to make the competition a success.
He said the competition would help to grown swimmers who would fly the country’s flag at international competitions.
Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Kabiru Gaya, had told NAN that the championship would feature athletes who are 17 years of age and above.
“The competition is going to be for people from 17 and above. We cannot allow athletes who are under-16 because we do not have a programme for them,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the organisers of the event have said its objectives include raising a pool of responsive young Nigerian swimmers.
According to them, such swimmers are expected to use the sport as a springboard to lead healthy, purposeful and patriotic life into adulthood.(NAN)
DE/OLAL
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)