NAN
As Nigeria prepares to host the 2019 Powerlifting World Championships in Lagos, Are Feyinsetan, the national coach of the Nigeria Para Powerlifting team, has boasted that the country would host and win the event.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Paralympics Committee-sanction championships which serves as part of qualification for the 2020 Paralympics Games in Tokyo is slated for January next year in Lagos.
Feyinsetan told NAN on Tuesday in Lagos that the hosting the championships would give the athletes a good opportunity to reaffirm the country’s dominance in the sport over the years.
“Having a major championships of this magnitude in the country is good for our athletes and it will be another opportunity to do what we are known for.
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“I am confident that we are not just hosting but we are hosting to win.
“The participating countries will come well-prepared because the championships will also serve as qualifications for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, so we are aware of the task ahead,’’ he said.
The coach urged the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development and private organisations to provide the necessary support needed to prepare the team ahead of the championships.
NAN reports that officials of the World Para Powerlifting Body (WPPO) led by Sam Munkley and Richardson Dillon, visited Nigeria in June to inspect facilities for the competition after the federation’s bid to host.