Ahead of the 2018 African Senior Wrestling Championship, President of the United World Wrestling Africa, Fouad Meskout has declared that he was impressed with the facilities he met on the ground in Rivers state in readiness for the hosting of the 2018 Senior African Wrestling Championship.
Meskout gave the indication while speaking with journalists on Wednesday after inspecting the Alfred Diette Spiff Civic Centre in Port Harcourt designated to host the competition.
Nigeria, Tunisia and Morocco are battling for the hosting rights of the annual championship last held in Morocco in May this year.
Meskout who spoke through an interpreter said though this was his first visit to Nigeria he has fallen in love with the country and satisfied with what he met on the ground for the hosting of the competition.
“As an inspector of the International Federation, I have to be neutral, I can’t take sides but personally after going through the hotels and the beautiful hall here (The Rivers Civic Centre), Nigeria has a good chance to host. Besides, Tunisia, Morocco have
hosted this championship before but for Nigeria, this is the first time they are bidding to host it.
“As the President of the United World Wrestling Africa, I am personally impressed with what I have seen in Nigeria,” Meskout added.
He thanked Dr Daniel Igali, president of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation who he described as his friend saying “he {Igali} is a good ambassador of the sport in Nigeria and has the strategies to make Nigeria win medals at the championship”.
Meskout called on government at all levels to support Igali in his programmes to ensure that Nigeria win medals at the African championship.
He noted that “Nigeria is key as far as freestyle wrestling is concerned in Africa” adding “Nigeria is not far from winning an Olympic gold medal,” he stated.
Nigeria, it will be recalled, won six gold and two silver medals at the 2017 edition of the African Senior Wrestling Championship held in Morocco in May this year.
Discussion about this post