- The Local Organising Committee and various sub-committees for the forthcoming 2020 World Para-Powerlifting World Cup scheduled for Abuja from February 5 to 7 may be dissolved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The Local Organising Committee and various sub-committees for the forthcoming 2020 World Para-Powerlifting World Cup scheduled for Abuja from February 5 to 7 may be dissolved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The ministry on Wednesday, through a directive from the minister, Sunday Dare, waded into the crisis that rocked the federation after athletes protested in Lagos on Tuesday the exclusion of junior athletes from the World Cup, the exclusion of national team coach, Are Feyisetan, and the choice of Abuja as a training base for the athletes, rather than their traditional gymnasium at the National Stadium in Lagos.
The LOC had been constituted by the President of the Nigeria Para-powerlifting Federation, Queen Uboh-Idris, a decision that didn’t go down well with the board members, who believed that it was unconstitutional for Uboh-Idris to put together a committee without the contribution of the board members.
The sports ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Gabriel Aduda, will now head the LOC instead of the representative of Aisha Buhari, wife of the President, our correspondent learnt.
Athletes are expected to depart Lagos for Abuja from Friday (today) for the camp that was originally scheduled to resume on January 18.
Despite the peace accord reached by the ministry, board members and athletes representatives to get the lifters to Abuja, issues may arise in camp with the demotion of national head coach Are Feyisetan and assistant Patience Igbiti and the promotion of Oluwakemi Gbadebo, who was the second assistant coach.
Despite the controversies, junior athlete, Ibrahim Oseni says he is excited they have been included in the competition.
“Our happiness as junior athletes now is that we have been told we can participate. We just want to show the world what we can do and take our chances. A lot of us are aiming to qualify for the Olympics and we will take this chance with both hands,” he told The PUNCH.
