Utobo said with the National Sports Commission (NSC) frowning at the act, it is only advisable for the states to make do with their athletes and concentrate on building a viable grass root development structure than relying on reaping from other people’s sweat.
“The NSC has said that poaching of athletes from other states is against the rules. Unfortunately however we discover that most states are still involved in it. For me this is not healthy for competition.
The rules have been dispatched to all states and it is only natural that we adhere to it,” he cautioned. Utobo added that he expects a spectacle in terms of organization of the competition by host, Lagos, equal treatment of the participating states and athletes should be taken seriously as it will give everyone some sense of belonging.
“I believe that we are in for one of the best NSF of all times no doubt, but I also expect that the organizers will do well to treat every athlete from the participating states equally.
They should see everybody as human and shun all forms of discrimination. “They should be fair in terms of where the athletes are camped and provide a level playing field for all.
We should avoid camping some states’ athletes far away from the venues and others very close. In fact in all aspects of the competition there must be transparency,” he stated.
On the chances of Ebonyi in this edition of Nigeria’s most prestigious sports fiesta, Utobo said like expected, the athletes are battle- ready for the challenges that will be posted by other states, but added that the state will target victory in those sports that have been chosen for participation. His word:
“The spirit is high, the athletes are ready. We are concentrating on those sports that we have selected to participate in and we wish to come out victorious at the end of the day.”
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