WAUG 2018 LOC Promises Best Ever In Port Harcourt

The local organizing committee for this year’s West African University Games (WAUG) at university of Port Harcourt, Rivers State has promised the best event ever in the competition’s history, sports247.ng can report.

This is the verdict of LOC chairperson, Professor Regina Ogali, who declared at the weekend that they are ready to receive all athletes, officials, coaches and other delegates in Port Harcourt.

Speaking of their plans ahead of the opening ceremony on Saturday, November 3 at UNIPORT Sports Complex, Ogali said they are primed to deliver superlatives in all aspects of the games.

She disclosed that over 5,000 athletes and 800 technical officials are expected in The Garden City, which is bound to stretch conveniences, logistics, facilities and materials for the games.

The LOC boss added that UNIPORT will uphold the standards and values of WAUG, for which this year’s theme is: Fostering Greater ECOWAS Youth Friendship Through University Sports.

Ogali stressed: “We have done all that is within our power of organisation to put up a very memorable event and we expect everything to go according to plan throughout the games.

“We have serious funding constraints, but our spirits have not been dampened in any way by this development.

“We are strongly hopeful of last-minute financial interventions from private and public-spirited individuals and groups.

“The Federal and Rivers State Governments are our major targets for funds and we are using all available avenues to reach out to them for support.

“This is a national event and we cannot afford to fail. People will remember that the WAUG games held in UNIPORT, but if anything goes wrong, they will call out Nigeria and Rivers State for criticism.

“We need funds to retouch our facilities and venues, including the enormous logistics that would go with the event and we need money to accomplish all that, and time is against us now.

“The University also hopes to raise the bar of the sub-continental sporting fiesta in terms of quality of hosting, while hoping to win in a free and fair competition.

“(We aim to conform) to the Olympic vision and the mandate of WAUG which aims to foster friendship, understanding, cultural and intellectual exchange among scholars from competing institutions.”