Cross River State governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has promised his administration’s commitment to reposition sports in this final phase of his administration through the upgrading of sporting facilities as well as training and retraining of sportsmen and women in the state.
Speaking through the Chairman of the state’s Sports Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Elom, during a tour of facilities at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Calabar, Governor Ayade noted that the superlative performance of the Cross River contingent at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival was made possible by “the attention government is paying to upgrade of sporting facilities as well as training and retraining of athletes.
“We will continue to prioritise upgrading of sporting facilities as can be gleaned from the massive rehabilitation work going on here.Training and retraining of our sportsmen and women is also dear to us,” he said.
Elom disclosed that upon assumption of office, he met dilapidated sports facilities and structures, prompting the commission to start from the scratch to rehabilitate them.
“On assumption of office, I met dilapidated sports structures and facilities.
“Nothing was functioning. We had to start from the scratch and I kept in touch with the governor, updating him on daily basis on what was going on, so he gave us a mandate to start from the scratch, the rehabilitation of facilities and structures at the stadium.
“By the grace of God, we have been able to fix many of them.The impact of our success could be seen from Cross River’s performance in the last National Sports Festival, Edo 2020. The performance you saw there was a reflection of the structural overhaul we are carrying out.”
According to Elom, “the government through the Sports Commission is determined to ensure the state maintains a prime position in swimming hence the total rehabilitation and upgrade of the swimming pools at the U.J Esuene Stadium.
“Cross River State, from history is known to be a swimming state. We got medals from swimming, but here we are, confronted by dilapidated swimming facilities. However, we are set to change the narrative.
“This swimming pool you are seeing here which we are now fixing is the best in Africa. This pool is the only facility that trains the Nigerian Army, the Airforce and the Navy. They come here for training.”
Elom said the Commission started fixing the swimming facility on the 15th of December last year and hopes to put it to use by February 14th, 2022.
“When we came, it was completely dilapidated, nothing was there. The necessary equipment for its take-off to enable us to train our athletes are all on the ground. It is an internationally certified pool built by Germans.
It is a 50-metre pool, it is of international standard, 3.7 feet to 7.6 feet for the master pool. Then, the supporting pool is 4 feet to 7.8 feet,” he hinted.
When commissioned, he said, the facility will serve a dual purpose of recreation and sports training. “We intend to make the pool a recreational site and also retain it as a training facility. We have not altered the training aspect of the pool but we have tried to add aesthetics that could make it a tourist centre,” Elom said.
Caption:
Swimming pool facility at the U.J Esuene Stadium.
