Too much love for football killed swimming- Kowei

Ondo State Swimming sensation, Kehinde Kowei has told nigeriasports.com that the poor standard of swimming in the country is as a result of the kind of support given to swimming, a development she attributed the Nigerians' fanatical love for football to the death of other sports.

"I was at the Olympic games qualifiers in Morocco early this year and I must say though I lowered my personal best, the standard was certainly not good enough."

"This is simply because in Nigeria our training standard is very poor and that is the simply because we have no money in the swimming Federation and all the money is going into football, the sport other people love."

Kehinde Kowei has participated in three National Sports Festivals as well as the recent Olympic Games qualifiers in Morocco, but she says, until the Sports Ministry gives swimmers their dues, Nigeria will continue to be a one-sports nation.

"Nigerias believe that they should only spend money on football and the other sports can die if they want and that is the biggest problem in his country."

"If not for the Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili that has tried to revive smimming through this yearly Championships we will just continue like this without any competitions."

Kowei lamented the fact that she had no training prior to the Championship taking solace in the fact that other state had no preparations for the event.

"Only Delta State prepared for the event. As for me, I only started training a week ago so i do not expect to set any new records. The same applies to all the other teams and that is the terrible state of swimming in Nigeria."

"The Delta State team are lucky they have been in camp since the last National Sports Festival, but the rest of us have been idle ever since."

"As for me, I am very grateful to Peter Odili because if other governors can do like he has done, swimming would be more develpoed that this."

The Ondo State born Swimmer who has been swimming competitively for six years got her first honours in the Bauchi 2000 sports Festival where she won one gold, two silver and a bronze medal, while in Edo 2002 she got three gold medals, two silver, a bronze medal as well as new National record.

In the Governors cup of 2002 she got four gold, two silver and a bronze medal as well as a record.

She also set a new National record in the Governor's Cup of 2003 in the 1500m as well as four gold, two silver and a bronze medal.

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