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Okowa assures on Asaba 2018 Athletics Championship, praises GAC Motors

By Gowon Akpodonor
15 July 2017   |   2:13 am
Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa says the 2018 CAA African Senior Athletics Championship would be one of the best in terms of organization.The championship is being backed by GAC Motors, one of China’s largest automakers, with a sponsorship deal worth N800 million.

Nigeria’s 4x100m relay athletes celebrate their qualification to the final at the 2014 CAA African Senior Athletics championship in Morocco. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa says the 2018 edition in Asaba will be the best ever<br />

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa says the 2018 CAA African Senior Athletics Championship would be one of the best in terms of organization.The championship is being backed by GAC Motors, one of China’s largest automakers, with a sponsorship deal worth N800 million.

Governor Okowa, who paid a visit to the company in Victoria Island, Lagos said that his administration would do everything possible to make the championship the best in the area of logistics and organization. He praised the management of GAC Motors for its partnership.

The chairman of GAC Motors, Diana Chen promised that her company would live up to its responsibility by supplying enough vehicles and other logistics for members of the Local Organising Committee to run a smooth championship.

Also at the ceremony was the immediate past President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba, who revealed that GAC Motors had agreed to open two service centres in Delta State, one each in Asaba and Warri ahead of the championship. “These service centres will in a way generate employment for our youths because not less than 10 persons will operate in each of the centres. The people will be sent to China for special training,” Ogba stated.

Also speaking, the chairman of Delta Sports Commission, Tony Okowa, said that Asaba Stadium, which had been abandoned for years, would be completed in December or early next year, adding that a new contractor had already commenced work at the complex.

The Chief Executive Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Bukola Olopade, whose company brokered the deal, said that the LOC’s dream of organising a championship where the host, Delta State Government will not have to bear 100 percent of the costs had started yielding fruits.

“GAC Motors decided to back the Asaba CAA African Senior Athletics Championships because the company realized that the main beneficiary of the championship will be youths from Nigeria and other parts of Africa. They are giving support worth N800m, which is massive. They are the first organization to back the project. This is sign that we will be able to fulfill our promise that we will have championship whose cost will not be borne by the host city and Delta State Government alone but also by Corporate Nigeria,” Olopade stated.

He urged other corporate organisations in Nigeria to emulate GAC Motors and back the Asaba 2018 Championship saying: “There are opportunities for other brands who intend to be part of the championship.”

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