Eric Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has received cheers and commendations from residents of the state for actively participating in the 2024 Coal City Half Marathon held in the state’s capital on Saturday.
This was even as the governor promised that his administration was working towards strengthening and improving subsequent marathons in the state by making it attractive enough for international athletes to participate as a world-class sporting event.
Governor Mbah, who joined in the 21.79km half marathon, which kicked off at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, stated that the event would serve as an opportunity to discover young talents and for all sports lovers as well as the elderly to keep fit and live a healthy lifestyle.
He said his administration was keen on sustaining and consolidating the huge success recorded in this year’s marathon through the right investment in the development of the sports industry in the areas of sporting infrastructure and facilities, adding that the state saw sports as business and source of wealth creation for the people.
“We’re investing hugely in our sports sector, and we’re not only treating sports as leisure or recreation, but we’re also seeing the sports industry as key business. That’s why in addition to quickly returning the pitch, once we came in, to enable Rangers International return to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, we just awarded the contract to renovate and overhaul our stadium and bring it to world-class standard.
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