Daily Trust

Ochei wheelchair basketball championsh­ip begins Oct 22

- By Orkula Shaagee

@shagcy The 2017 edition of the Victor Ochei Internatio­nal Wheelchair Basketball Championsh­ip will hold from October 22-28, organisers of the event have said.

For the past six years, the ex-Delta State Speaker has solely funded the Victor Ochei Internatio­nal Wheelchair Basketball Championsh­ip, producing many stars for the country. He had also sponsored Nigerian Wheelchair Basketball teams to various internatio­nal competitio­ns, including the Rio 2016 Olympics Games qualifiers in Algeria, where the country fielded both male and female teams.

Regardless of the dwindling economic situation in the country, Ochei says he would continue to use the wheelchair basketball to change the life of many physically challenged people in Nigeria and some African countries.

According the President, Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Nigeria (WBFN), Bukola Olopade, the 2017 edition, which is the sixth in the series, will witness the introducti­on of wheelchair basketball challenge.

“The wheelchair basketball challenge is one of the several new things we are going to introduce in this year’s edition. It will carry its own prize money. We will hold a world press conference by the end of this month to officially announce the package,” Olopade stated.

Olapade, a former Commission­er for Sports in Ogun State, was full of commendati­on for Ochei for his continuous commitment to empower special sports athletes in the country.

Some of the players, who spoke yesterday, praised the sponsor for his continuous love for special athletes, especially when he is no longer in government.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Nigeria