2020 NSF Zonal Prelims: Onyedimma says Team FCT prepared to excel in Ilorin
Qualifiers
By Muhyideen Jimoh
Abuja, Jan. 16, 2020 (NAN) The FCT Sports Department’s Director, Dilichukwu Onyedimma, on Thursday in Abuja said Team FCT was prepared to pick several North Central zonal tickets to the upcoming 20th National Sports Festival (NSF).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that teams from seven North Central states will on Monday begin to battle in eight team sports for tickets to the festival.
Teams from FCT, Nasarawa State, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, Niger and host Kwara will compete for tickets to the 2020 NSF’s football, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, handball, hockey, rugby and cricket events.
Onyedimma told NAN that the department had concluded preparations for a good outing for both its male and female teams in the four sports it registered for.
FCT are the defending champions in football, basketball and beach volleyball, having won gold medals in the last NSF held in Abuja in 2018.
It will now compete in the zonal qualifiers for these sports and handball at the North Central Zonal Prelims in Ilorin.
“We are confident of picking the qualification tickets in all the four games registered for, because of our comparative advantage.”
“All our athletes have been in an open camp since last year and we are good to go,” she said.
The Head of FCT Football Association’s Technical Committee, Samuel Abimbola, also expressed optimism about the prospects of the football team and other teams at the zonal playoffs.
He said the football team had played series of friendly matches to finetune their strategies for the task ahead.
NAN reports that FCT finished seventh on the medals table at the 19th NSF in Abuja in 2018 with 21 gold, nine silver and 24 bronze medals.
Delta had won the 19th NSF by finishing first with 163 gold, 88 silver and 101 bronze medals, while Rivers were second with 69 gold, 58 silver and 57 bronze.
Edo who are hosts of the 2020 edition scheduled for March in Benin finished third with 47 gold, 41 silver and 53 bronze.(NAN)
MUYI/JPE/OLAL
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(Edited by Joseph Edeh and Olawale Alabi)