YENAGOA- Mr Isaac Mark-Tubo, the Director of Sports in Bayelsa on Saturday, said the postponement of the 19th National Sports Festival (NSF) would give more time to restructure the skills of the participants.
The 2014 sports fiesta which was scheduled to hold in Calabar from Nov. 23 to Dec. 7 was postponed to April, 2015.
Mark-Tubo, however, expressed concern about the disruption of the arrangements that had been made for the fiesta due to the postponement.
“The shift is okay, but our only worry is the urgency with which the postponement was made as the change in date has seriously affected the plans we made.
“We have started full training again; I am urging all the athletes to continue with the training to ensure that Bayelsa achieves excellent outing at the NSF,’’ he said.
Coach Omagbemi Ebinyo of Bayelsa Basketball Team, in a separate interview, also commended the postponement.
“My team has decided to go on two weeks break, after that, we will return to training in December.
“My team is fit and ready, though we have never come first in basketball at any national fiesta but in Milo Basketball Championship, Bayelsa came first; I pray that God will see us through,’’ Ebinyo said.
In an interview, Mr Reuben Amos, the Head Coach of Swimming in the state, said that the postponement would not affect the team spirit of the athletes.
He said it would give them more time to plan some strategies and acquire more useful skills to enable the team to excel in the fiesta.
“We are not going to slack in any way in winning all the gold medals for swimming in the forth-coming National Sports Festival.
“Bayelsa as a costal state has the natural talent and qualities for swimming and we are going to be the best among the 36 states that will participate in the festival,’’ he said. (NAN)
