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Africa Wrestling Boss, Meskout, Arrives Garden City for Championship Â
The President of the United World Wrestling Africa, Fouad Meskout, arrived Port Harcourt, Rivers State yesterday ahead of the opening ceremony of the Africa Wrestling Championship scheduled to begin on Wednesday with 25 countries participating.
Meskout who arrived in the early hours of Sunday is expected to visit the venue of the championship, the Alfred Diete Sports Complex, to assess the level of readiness of Rivers State for the continental wrestling fiesta.
A member of the Local Organising Committee for the AWC and the President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Honour Sirawoo, who arrived Nigeria on same Air Maroc flight with the wrestling boss, expressed his happiness with arrangements to host the competition.
“This is enough to show that we are about to witness a world-class event in Port Harcourt. So much hard work has been put in place for this competition and I thank Governor Nyesom Wike for making it possible especially with the preparation of the country’s wrestlers for the event,†Sirawoo said.
Meskout had last July visited Port Harcourt to inspect facilities for the competition.
Meanwhile, Morocco and Guinea Bissau have arrived Port Harcourt for the competition taking place between February 7 and 11
The President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, told reporters yesterday in Port Harcourt that three more countries were expected to arrive late last night.
A total of 90 wrestlers are to represent Nigeria at the championship in various categories of the competition in which 25 countries are expected to feature. Â
On Friday, Rivers Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike hoisted flags of African countries to signal one of the landmarks in hosting the wrestling championship in the Rivers State capital.
Officers from the Nigeria Police band, Rivers State Command carried out the simultaneous hoisting of the flags of African countries at the imposing Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Complex, the venue for the championship.
While commending the Local Organising Committee for preparing well ahead of the wrestling championship,  the Governor stressed: “I am aware that with what I am seeing, the state is set, and I will want to believe that they will give us the best.â€
He lauded the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) led by Daniel Igali for making it possible for Rivers to secure the hosting rights of the championship.
Also speaking, Igali said that the significance of hoisting the flags is in recognition of all the 54 African countries expected to participate in the event.
“The symbols of the countries are their flags; this is about their culture, it’s about friendship and about the official signal of the tournament that is about to take place in Port Harcourt,†he stated.
