By Solomon Nwoke
THE Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Federation (NAWF) has handed two wrestlers representing Anambra state over to the police for attempting to cheat on Sunday. It was at the weighing in exercise ahead of the free style event of the 17th National Sports Festival at the Port Harcourt Civic Centre

The two wrestlers, Izu Okereke and Ifeanyi Nwuba were alleged to have conspired to cheat the federation by attempting to impersonate other wrestlers during weighing in of the free style event.

Trouble started when Okereke, a wrestler competing in the men’s 74kg weight class over weighed (74.9kg) by 1.9kg and was asked to go and jog in order to shade some weights as it’s the tradition with the sport. Rather than do that he was said to have conspired with Nwuba who had a lesser weight to weigh-in on his behalf. Luck ran out of him when he could not perfect his act  owing to the speed at which he ( Okereke ) shaded off 1.9kg in less than three minutes. This raised the curiosity of the officials to probe him

According to the wrestling federation’s technical committee Chairman, Sir Ohaike  Damian, such offense attracts a sanction of two years ban as enshrined in the federation’s rules and regulation..But when interrogated the culprits, owned  up to the offence and pleaded for  leniency before  they were subsequently handed over to the police pending when the committee would sit  to finally apportion proper sanctions. Sir Ohaike, who strongly frowned at the incident, said the measure taken by the  federation to arrest the culprits was meant to serve as a deterrent to others.