Mobil plans holiday camp for 165 student athletes

 

Another first has been recorded in the history of sports sponsorship and promotions in Nigeria as Mobil Producing Nigeria, Operator of the NNPC/MPN Joint Venture finalises plans to camp and train 165 students in the modern technics and styles of track and field.

Sponsor of the Akwa Ibom State /NNPC/MPN Schools Athletics Championships for the past thirteen years, the oil drilling giant has taken the event to another level by subjecting the champions of the competition in the last two years to an intensive two weeks camping that will afford them the benefit of modern coaching in the sport.
File photo: Athletes

File photo: Athletes

The coordinator of the event Paul Bassey told journalists in Lagos that by agreeing to subject the student winners to a rigid coaching programme by some of the best coaches in the land, MPN has once again pioneered a programme that is worthy of emulation.

One of the coaches invited for the programme is Solomon Abari, the NIS Director of coaching and one of the coaches who guided Nigeria to gold medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Also on the card is veteran athlete and coaching guru Armelia Edet, Nigeria’s Chief Athletics coach for so many years.

Armelia was all praise for the programme saying that her dream is revolved around events like this. ‘’…….Until we start to not only catch, but coach them young, then we have not started. I am excited, I will give my all, but we should be ready to build on this initial attempt, by regularly updating their knowledge.

Akwa Ibom State Director of Sports Coach Aniedi Dickson said this is a programme that will benefit the state no end as they prepare for the upcoming National Sports Festival for u-17 athletes.

“……I am into consultations with the organizers of the programme to also allow my coaches benefit from the training programme that will be handled by experienced and tested coaches” the Sports Director said.

Students that will take part in the programme will benefit from the provision of spike shoes and other apparels that they will “ keep and train with

“…..We are taking them to the U. J Esuene stadium in Calabar where they will train on tartan tracks for the first time, use starting blocks and so on. In fact the coaches may spend a whole day teaching them how to get used to and run with spike shoes” Mr Bassey joked.