Two traditional sports, Draught and Ncho, also known as Ayo, will feature in the first Anambra traders’ sports championships, scheduled to hold between October and November this year.
Ncho/Ayo is a traditional game played over 12 holes in two rows (six for a player) dug on the ground with four seeds in each hole.
It is, however, now being constructed in a wooden board and can be moved from place to place.
It is a game where each of the players seeks to amass the highest number of seeds.
The Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the Championships included the two board games (draught and ayo) during its meeting in Awka on Thursday.
Patrick-Estate Onyedum, Chairman of Anambra State Sports Development Commission, who presided over the meeting, also inaugurated six sub-committees for the competition.
The sub-committees included Finance/Contact/Mobilisation, Technical, Media/Publicity, Ceremonial/Protocol, Administration and Venue/Facility/Logistics/Security.
Onyedum said the traders’ competition which used to feature only football for men had been expanded to feature Tennis and Table Tennis with Draught and Ncho/Ayo as additional competitive games.
He said the championships are open to both men and women while calling on the markets to prepare their best athletes to represent them.
Onyedum, who is the co-chairman of the Finance/Contact/Mobilisation sub-committee, called on all the markets to register for the championships and that sumptuous rewards await the best teams at the end of competition.
According to him, “we are not just playing football, tennis and table tennis, we are including Draught and Ncho/Ayo which resonate well with our people in markets.
“Gov. Chukwuma Soludo is a man who wants the best for Anambra people, so he has not only approved this competition, he has also directed that we set a new standard in traders sports competitions,” he said.
Also speaking, Chief Humphrey Anuna, Chairman, Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association, the umbrella body of all registered markets, said traders were in full support of the championships.
Anuna, who is the co-chairman of Finance/Contact/Mobilisation sub-committee, said there were about 102 registered markets in the state and that his association would ensure they all participate.
“This is a good initiative, we are in full support of this competition and so far, it has been so good,” he said.
NAN
