Ahead of the 2018 African Senior Athletics Championship, Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa says Asaba, the State capital is all set to host the continent’s elite athletes.
Speaking when he inspected the 22,000 sitting capacity Stephen Keshi stadium in Asaba, venue for the championship, Governor Okowa assured that the complex will be ready for the continental fiesta holding in August, 2018.
The Governor, accompanied by top officials of the Delta State’s Sports Commission, was shown round the facilities by the former President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the championship, Solomon Ogba.
Governor Okowa told sports journalists after the inspection visit that; “It is good that we are here today to see the level of work done; you can see that the contractor is working to deliver the job to international standards.”
According to him, “What you are witnessing is the reconstruction of the stadium, it was redesigned to accommodate 9 lanes and I am satisfied with the level of work done so far.”
He explained that the State is ready to host Africa because, “the championship will make people from different parts of Africa to gather in our state, it will be a thing of joy for us to host Africa.”
“The benefits of hosting the championship cannot be quantified, don’t forget sports is a unifying factor all over the world and that unity, peace and love for one another will be celebrated during the championship,” the Governor said.
The facilities inspected by Governor Okowa include grassing of the field; construction of the tartan tracks; the VIP lounges; training areas; and swimming pool among others.
