1 week ago
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In an inspiring telephone to action, Victor Okorie, the Performance Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and a erstwhile 400m hurdles metallic medallist, has emphasised the agleam prospects up for Nigerian athletes arsenic they cogwheel up for a packed play starring to the 2026 Enugu National Sports Festival.
With the AFN Board moving diligently to finalise adjacent season’s calendar, Okorie is optimistic astir a transformative twelvemonth for Nigerian athletics. “Athletes should hole for an eventful year,” helium stated, noting that the AFN aims to supply ample clip for athletes to hole some mentally and physically.
The upcoming twelvemonth promises a engaged docket with large events, including the National Sports Festival, Confederation of African Athletics Championships, World Relay Championship, Commonwealth Games, and more. Okorie believes this packed docket sets the signifier for 1 of the astir breathtaking periods successful caller representation for the nation’s way and tract athletes.
To further empower athletes, the AFN is pursuing partnerships with apical sportswear brands, ensuring that athletes not lone excel successful their performances but besides instrumentality pridefulness successful their appearance. “The close concern volition supply motivation, comfort, and pridefulness successful representing Nigeria,” Okorie explained.
Equally important to Okorie is the imaginativeness of sports arsenic a thriving business, advocating for greater firm concern successful athletics. He commended the National Sports Commission (NSC) for its enactment but urged backstage and nationalist sectors to measurement in. “Athletics tin beryllium much than medals; it tin physique brands, make jobs, and animate communities,” helium asserted.
As 1 of the cardinal organisers for the forthcoming Enugu 2026 National Sports Festival, Okorie expressed excitement astir the imaginable interaction of the event. He believes it volition connection important economical opportunities for Enugu, enhancing tourism and fostering inter-state relations. “It’s genuinely a win-win moment,” helium said, optimistic that Enugu’s athletes volition vie fiercely crossed each 36 sporting events, aiming for a top-three decorativeness successful the wide medal standings.
Okorie besides praised the NSC for its relation successful nurturing athletics successful Nigeria contempt ongoing fiscal challenges. He reiterated the request for further firm enactment to heighten grooming facilities and endowment discovery, which would alteration Nigeria to vie much efficaciously connected the planetary stage.
Reflecting connected the essence of athletics, Okorie believes it transcends specified competition, serving arsenic a level for gathering connections among individuals and communities. As the countdown to Enugu 2026 begins, helium envisions a aboriginal wherever sports volition not lone elevate athletes but besides revive nationalist pridefulness and economical growth.
“Sports tin alteration lives. If we nurture it right, it volition reward america all—athletes, fans, and the nation,” helium concluded, embodying a hopeful imaginativeness for the aboriginal of Nigerian athletics.
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