W’basketball team target friendlies

National wheelchair basketball team captain Mohammed Audu has said the team will play some friendly matches ahead of the 5th Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championships, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Audu told NAN during the week that the date for the annual championships had yet to be decided, attributing it to the forthcoming national elections.

He said, “Our sponsor, Hon. Senator Victor Ochei, has assured us that the competition will hold as soon as the general elections end.

“He told us that the competition will hold whichever way the result of the elections goes with him in Asaba.

“We are with him in prayers for him to be successful, because he has been the sole sponsor of wheelchair basketball events in Nigeria.

“We have stepped up our preparations by using any opportunity to engage ourselves to select the home-based players that will join their foreign-based counterparts.”

Meanwhile, three Yaba College of Technology students, Uju Bright, Enyia Emmanuel and Adele Michael who had sponsored the friendly match involving the team, said they needed awareness for the sport.

Bright said, “We wanted more awareness and support for the sport; we also wanted to bring it to our school so that many of our students could be encouraged by the disabled athletes.

“We believe it is a wakeup call for able and disabled students in the school and an avenue where we render emotional support for disabled athletes in the country.”