FCTA inaugurates reconstituted sports bodies

No fewer than 20 various sports associations reconstituted recently by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) were yesterday inaugurated with a charge on their members to look inwards and discover athletes with talents at the grassroots.
The associations comprising football, scrabble, chess, volleyball, handball, badminton, tennis, wrestling, taekwondo, weightlifting, kick-boxing, table tennis, judo, karate, hockey, cricket, gymnastics, golf, basketball, boxing and athletics have nine members each.

Performing the inauguration ceremony, secretary, FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs. Blessing Onu, who harped on the need for members of the association to focus on discovery of grassroots talents, said that the present administration led by FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, was in a haste to churn out more results in sports development.
According to her, “We have taken so many measures to ensure that our athletes do well in both national and international competitions and one of such measures is the reconstitution of these associations. With their inauguration, we hope to start garnering more results.”

“Members of the associations are to advise on the repositioning of sports in the FCT. We are also looking at alternative way of funding sports in the FCT and the possibility of establishing a sports institution as well as liaising with urban and regional planning for development.

“For the first time, since the inception of FCT, this administration has deemed it fit to provide sports facilities in six area councils.”
Earlier, FCT director of sports, Alhaji Alim, gave an insight into the functions of the various associations and assured of the readiness of sports council to improve on previous achievements.
Responding on behalf of other members of the sports association, a member of the Volleyball Association, Alhaji Alhassan Yakmut, promised to revive sports in the nation’s capital.