By Uzor Odigbo
The much awaited Eyoto Academy U-15 Athletics Championships commenced on blistering speed on Thursday as young athletes competed in the 100m boys/girls heats to the admiration of cheering spectators inside Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
After a prolonged screening procedure, ten 100m heats boys and 12 girls got concluded and further whittled down to final 8 which ended Day -1 events with winners emerging from the third position after the disqualification of first and second placed finishers for false age claims in the boys 100m event.
According to the technical director, Coach Mutiu Oluwa, “This explains how tough and non compromising the competition officials handled matters so far.
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Other events slated for today include, 200m, long jump, 400m, relays, high jump, deaf sports as others would be concluded on Friday, the final day of competitions.
Schools that participated in the 4th edition of the Eyoto Academy U-15 Athletics Championships were overwhelming and unprecedented, occasioned by the mouthwatering incentives for winners, scholarships and other lollies for emerging individual champions.
Some highlights of the competition on Thursday was the peaceful manner officials, students and spectators conducted themselves in making sure events went on as scheduled.
Speaking on the competition, Four Eyoto Academy Executives from the President Felix Idahosa to the treasurer Friday Enoye expressed optimism on the future of the competition as exemplified by interests shown through the performing young athletes.
He said funding of the competition has been through members contributions and friends donations.
Eyoto president also opined that he was encouraged by the attendance schools invited for the 4th edition have shown so far and young spectators who kept on cheering their schools, describing it as fantastic and would want to do more.
Chief Idahosa commended the Sports facilities Edo State had put in place to the advantage of Sports.
The Executives, individually added words in favour of initiating a robust working Synergy to collaborate with the Edo State Sports board and Sports Commission as to fashion out strategies to move Edo Sports forward as it concerns the young talents in the State.
Expectedly, Schools Game Masters and Mistresses also commended the organisers and wished that competitions hold every month as it had helped in keeping young talents busy in training as well as study hard for their academic pursuit.
Talented lads according to them, have become useful in their spare time which is commendable and had positively robbed off, especially for the Sponsors and on talented students they brought to the competition.
They insisted that the competition is impactful and would wish it holds all the time.
After today’s events, talented best students from 10 schools would be selected for scholarship awards and other prizes such as school materials, books, bags, T-shirts, tokens etc.