By Goodluck Ikiebe
The Federal Government has commended the junior Gymnasts for their excellent performances that led to the harvest of medals for the country at the just concluded World Gymnastics Championship in the Republic of Malta.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, gave the commendation on Friday in his office when he received the young gymnasts, who came to present the medals won at the Tournament to him.
Abubakar applauded them for achieving podium performances, clinching 23 medals (8 gold, 8 silver, and 7 bronze) in different categories of the game.
He commended the Ministry’s officials, Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria as well as the technical crew for their commitment to ensuring the successes recorded at the event.
The Permanent Secretary assured that the Ministry will put all necessary administrative machinery on ground in order to provide the nation’s athletes with the opportunity to showcase their sporting talents with a view to enabling them compete favourably with their counterparts globally.
Alhaji Ismaila further advised parents of the young gymnasts to ensure that their kids remain focused especially in their educational career so as to provide them with a brighter opportunity even as they continue to excel in the field of sports.
Earlier in his remark, the Head Coach of the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria and leader of the team, Anthony Asuquo, disclosed that seven Junior Gymnasts represented the country among other 15 countries at the Malta Championship.
He stated that of the seven, Chiwendu Okpanku was rated as the 3rd best in the world and 1st in the Vault.
Mr. Asuquo commended the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, Top Management Staff of the Ministry and the present Administration in particular, for their commitment to the development of sports in the country, pledging that the Federation will remain committed to ensuring that the country records more podium appearances at future competitions.
