By Omuboye Sukubo
Port Harcourt – Nathaniel Piaro, Rivers Sports Director, on Wednesday, urged the State Government to curtail non-sporting activities at the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex after its renovation.
Piaro made this plea while taking officials and members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Rivers chapter, who were on inspection of sports facilities in Port Harcourt round the complex.
He said that athletes were always having a challenge to use the facilities at the sports complex because government was always giving it out for non-sporting activities.
“We want to make the maximum use of the sports complex but we can’t have access to it when other activities such as religious crusade, social functions are going on there always.
“We have facilities for all the indoor games such as badminton, squash, volley ball, basket ball, handball among others in the complex but we can’t have access to it most times,” he alleged.
According to Piaro, non-sporting activities at the end of the renovation work should be curtailed, so that sporting activities would have a place to thrive.
“Government functions, religious crusades and social functions have hindered preparation for tournaments because government is granting the sports complex to individuals and private organisations for use.
“You can’t say that you have a tournament in a week time and you don’t have access to the facility for training, it will definitely affect your performance,” he said.
Piaro lauded Gov. Nyesom Wike for taking the bold initiative to renovate the sports complex.
“We thank Gov. Wike immensely to have deemed it necessary to renovate the complex that was constructed more than 40 years ago.
“Some of the facilities have gone obsolete and are in a state of decay. We appreciate him for this bold initiative,” he said.
The Rivers chapter of SWAN was on sports facilities tour in the state to mark its 53rd anniversary.