How COVID-19 Impacts Sports in Anambra

On Feb. 27, 2020, an index case of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was first detected in Nigeria and this changed the socio-economic and political narrative of every sector of in the country, including Anambra for that year.

The sports sector was not spared of the many destructive effects COVID-19 had on activities in the different spheres of life.

Sports in Anambra had started off on an exciting note with the successful hosting of Nigeria Police Games (NPG) in February, which was adjudged by some observers as the biggest and best in the South-East in recent history.

The fear of COVID-19 had already filled the air but Anambra Government and the Police authorities decided to go ahead with the Games on Feb. 29, two days after the first case was reported in Nigeria. The event went smoothly and ended on March 7 without hitches.

Immediately the NPG ended, no fewer than 300 Anambra athletes went into closed camping ahead of 20th National Sports Festival, tagged “Edo 2020’’ in Benin but few days to March 22, when it was supposed to commence, but it was called off for COVID-19 reasons.

The 2020 NSF was later scheduled to start on Dec. 4 and on Jan. 3, 2021, but on both occasions it was shelved by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development over COVID-19 uncertainties.

Tony Oli, Chairman of Anambra Sports Development Commission (ASDC), said the cancellations came with huge cost to the state in terms of feeding, medical care and other logistics, noting that it was a year of abnormalities.

The chairman said COVID-19 distorted the state’s sports calendar that the various competitions, including the Academicals Cup for Primary and Secondary Schools, Tertiary Institutions Games and Security Challenge did not hold.

According to him, the postponements were very regrettable; we had 300 athletes in camp and it took much to mobilise them from their work places and places of residence, it is costing us so much money to keep them in camp.

“We were in camp for one month in March, three weeks in December and we were at the verge of keeping them during Christmas ahead of Jan. 3 commencement date when it was once more postponed to Feb. 14. kick off date.

“As if all was note done, the festival has again been moved forward to April, adding to our cost of maintaining our athletes.

“2020 would have been a great year for Anambra sports as we started very well with the Police Games in the first quarter and we were banking on the euphoria of the NPG and were ready for the NSF.

“It was our expectation that immediately we return from Benin, we will go into our programmes which includes U-13, U-15, after which we would have gone into the National Youth Games where we were grooming about two athletes that would have gone to Tokyo Olympics.

“We were also to have our Community Shield, Security Cup and others, it would been a great year but there was a natural force majeure but in all it was not a bad year,’’ he said.

The Anambra State Football Association (AnSFA) also had its share of the negative impact of COVID-19 as the board’s election, originally scheduled for July 28 could not hold following the state government’s advice.

Mr C-Don Adinuba, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, had said that going ahead with the election will violate the state protocol on COVID-9 and advised that the exercise be shelved indefinitely until the coast was clear.

The Jude Anyadufu-led Electoral Committee conducted the election through virtual mode but that did not go down well with the Nigeria Football Federal (NFF) which set up a Caretaker Committee on Aug. 2.

Elections were later conducted on Oct. 30, but only four of the nine-man board were elected, excluding the position of chairman.

Andrew Okorie, a football enthusiast, said the AnSFA board would have been constituted if it were not for COVID-19.

In spite the obvious setbacks, Anambra will soon have an ultramodern state-owned football stadium in Awka.

The work or the project had reached advanced stage at the Awka Township Stadium but the initial Dec. 28 delivery date was not realised.

On the project, Ebi Egbe, Managing Director of MoniMichelle Construction Company, the contractors handling it, said the stadium would be one of the best installations by them in Nigeria.

“Everything we are doing here is with the best technology in the industry, the pitch is all that matters in stadium construction.

“We are using hybrid grass of 45 mm shock absorber on zero undulation ground and we expect that it will last between 12 and 14 years with good maintenance culture.

“So, I must commend the Anambra Government which has taken it upon itself to give the best to the people. Regretably, the project was not delivered due to COVID-19,’’ he said.