By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

No fewer than 2000 athletes from across 12 police zonal commands and the force headquarters, Abuja are expected in Anambra State on February 29 for the 2020 National Police Games (NPG).

Speaking at a joint press conference held at the Government House, Awka, the chairman of the Main Organising Committee of the 2020 NPG, Usman Alkali, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, urged athletic Anambra youths to take advantage of the competition.

He said that those who do well have the opportunity to be selected for police recruitment exercise based on their sporting prowess.

Alkali observed that the choice of Anambra State as a host state for the event was reached at the 11th edition of Police Games held at Abuja in 2016.

In his speech, the Chairman, Anambra State Sports Commission, Chief Tony Oli, said the event will be kicked off at Ekwueme square with games like, volleyball, basket ball, handball, swimming, karate, among others.

He reeled out other venues for the games to include, Otuocha Township stadium for Football, Rojenny Games Village Oba, track and field events, Tansi International College Awka will host hockey and cricket games.

Other sports facilities to be used for the event include NYSC Orientation camp at Mbaukwu/Umuawulu for boxing, badminton and table tennis, Golden Tulip hotel to host Chess, scrabble.

According to him, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital will play host to Polo if it eventually makes it on the list of games to be played while Shooting will be done at Oji River Police College, Enugu state, since the state does not have the facility.

He further said that the 50km cycling will take off from Nteje with a spur to Nando-Ukwulu road -Amawbia junction and end at Ekwueme square while the 21.03I'm marathon will start off from Agu-Awka Government House, all the way to Amawbia and also end at Ekwueme square.

While dousing fears that the state may not be ready on the take-off date of the eight day sporting event, Oli said: “The facilities needed here are almost ready and the state is also ready to play host to the athletes. The swimming pool for the games will be ready before the games kick off.

“Hosting this game is as good as hosting the National Sports Festival. The game will expose the youths to the kind of games they are not conversant with.

“It will boom the state economy because of the influx of visitors. The routes for cycling have equally been mapped out.”

On his part, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, called on Anambra people to turn out en masse and be part of the biennial games adding that the event is a platform for talented sports men and women in the state to be discovered and gain employment thereafter.

He noted that through such games, the Nigeria Police has produced sports men and women with both national and international medals.