Cross River State commissioner for sports, Patrick Ugbe has assured Athletics Federation of Nigeria officials that the running tracks of the U.J. Esuene Stadium will be up and ready for use, before the Cross River/All Nigeria track and field championships billed for June 17-19.

The Stadium has been undergoing renovation for the National Sports Festival billed for December and according to Mr. Ugbe, work will commence this weekend and it will take a couple of days for installation to be complete.

“The track equipment will arrive Calabar this weekend. And the contractors will instal them almost immediately. We expect them to be ready before the championships,” said Mr. Ugbe.

He added that the tracks are the latest technology and athletes will find it comfortable to compete on. A member of the AFN confirmed that they have received assurance that the tracks will be ready on schedule, but: “We are also thinking of alternatives in case the stadium is not ready for use.”

Ugbe stated that the new track facilities will also boost the State’s grassroots athletics programme, which has revived the sports fortunes of Cross River.

“Our grassroots programme is still very much alive. The results are there for everyone to see, we have totally dominated the youth sports competitions and hopefully, we will extend it to the senior category in the next couple of years with our own home grown talents.”