Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Yellow Yeiyah, a Police Officer, on Friday emerged the overall champion of the first Realtors Swimming Championship in Enugu, to win a plot of land as prize.
Yeiyah defeated Williams Gbele of the Nigerian Army, who came second and the third swimmer, Dino Ebarakumo amongst others.
The swimming championship was organised by the Enugu State Swimming Association (ESSA) in conjunction with Brost Global Resources Limited.
Speaking, the Managing Director/CEO, Brost Global Resources Limited, Chief Stanley Uzor, said the company decided to sponsor the championship to discover and raise talented swimmers in the state.
He said he was moved by the declining interest in swimming by the youths and the need to give swimming the priority it deserved.
“I have great passion for swimming. In my house I have swimming pool and I swim every morning as part of my everyday exercise.
“Apart from fitness, swimming can expose our youths to the outside world by participating in international sports events like the African games and the Olympics,” he said.
Uzor, a property developer and philatropist, urged youths in Enugu State to take interest in swimming and improve their living conditions.
“Though we don’t have waters here in Enugu but there are swimming pools in many hotels across the city for you to take advantage of,” he said.
While handing over the land documents to the overall winner, Uzor said the gesture was to prove his seriousness to ensuring that swimming takes its proper place in Enugu State.
He commended the winner (Yeiyah) for the feat and urged him to do more.
Speaking, the Chairman of Enugu State Swimming Association, Madus Mathias, thanked the CEO of Brost Global Resources Limited for sponsoring the championship.
He stressed the need for individuals and organisations in the state to intervene in the development of sports at all levels of government.
He also commended the state government for providing them with enabling environment to push swimming to the forefront in sports development in the state.
In his reaction, the winner thanked the sponsor for the gesture, saying that the prize that he won would spur him to greater achievements in swimming.
