The Nigeria Cycling Federation is organising a pre festival race for cyclists at the Ogun State capital Abeokuta on Saturday, Febvruary 25 in readiness for the National Sports Festival holding in the state in April.
The secretary of the federation, Mr. Francis Gbiri told our correspondent that the pre tournament was necessary so as to let the cyclists familiarise with routes. "There were complaints after the last festival that most did not know the routes before the festival and this gave an undue advantage to the host state," he said And because we do not want a repeat complaints from the participants we have now invited them for the trials this weekend," the cycling scribe explained. He said nine states such as Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Nasarawa, Borno, Plateau, Bayelsa and Rivers had confirmed their readiness to be in Abeokuta for the pre race. He said the association would also use the opportunity to mark the routes in that would be used during the sports festival adding that the race in Abeokuta would be better organised than the previous ones. Gbiri also advised the states to send their cyclists to Abeokuta one week to the festival to commmence training there if they hope to perform well during the festival. He said the federation would after the festival send two cyclists to South Africa for intensive training ahead of the next Olympic and All Africa Games. The cyclists he said two or three years of intensive training in other parts of the world if they were to excel at international meets. "We are planning to do this in conjunction and support of the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
The secretary of the federation, Mr. Francis Gbiri told our correspondent that the pre tournament was necessary so as to let the cyclists familiarise with routes.
"There were complaints after the last festival that most did not know the routes before the festival and this gave an undue advantage to the host state," he said
And because we do not want a repeat complaints from the participants we have now invited them for the trials this weekend," the cycling scribe explained.
He said nine states such as Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Nasarawa, Borno, Plateau, Bayelsa and Rivers had confirmed their readiness to be in Abeokuta for the pre race.
He said the association would also use the opportunity to mark the routes in that would be used during the sports festival adding that the race in Abeokuta would be better organised than the previous ones.
Gbiri also advised the states to send their cyclists to Abeokuta one week to the festival to commmence training there if they hope to perform well during the festival.
He said the federation would after the festival send two cyclists to South Africa for intensive training ahead of the next Olympic and All Africa Games.
The cyclists he said two or three years of intensive training in other parts of the world if they were to excel at international meets.
"We are planning to do this in conjunction and support of the Nigeria Olympic Committee.
Published: 2006-02-20 19:10:16
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