Team Bayelsa have set new national and festival swimming records at the ongoing 2022 National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State.
The quartet of Ifiezibe Gagbe, Adaku Nkem Nwandu, Dorcas Oka and Doutimi Gagbe participated in the 4×200m freestyle women’s swimming event.
The Bayelsa team finished in a time of 9:28:30 to confine to the history book the festival and national records of 10:00:53 set in 2021 by Team Edo while Team Delta came second with a time of 9:56:28.
Meanwhile, a member of the Main Organising Committee, MOC of the festival, Dr. Ademola Aare has urged prospective hosts of the next Festival to build a Games Village where all athletes, officials, journalists and others will stay.
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Bayelsa swimmers set new record at 2022 National Sports Festival
“For anyone that wants to host the Festival, it is advisable to build a Games Village where all the athletes will be together. They would provide an entertainment area for them to relax, with all facilities in place including a standby generator. That alone will make the Festival successful,” he concluded.
Dr. Aare who also is the President of Rugby Federation of Nigeria further commended the Delta State government for hosting the games but admitted there must be pockets of issues.
“There are many parameters to determine success but you know it is a relative word. As a person that is involved in organization, so far so good, they have done well. There might be challenges, even as human beings, we face challenges but the ability to manage it is what matters,” he said.
