NSC COMMITTED TO PODIUM FINISH FOR NIGERIAN ATHLETES.
– OLOPADE.
Jude Agbeyeke
The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade has reiterated the Commissions determination to return Nigeria to its glory days in global sports.
Hon.Olopade stated this during an interview with journalists at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival tagged Gateway Games Ogun 2024 taking place in Abeokuta.
The Director General said that the NSC led by Mallam Shehu Dikko was keen on regenerating Nigeria’s sports sector through initiatives that would see the nation’s athletes compete favourably with their counterparts in global sports meets stressing that Nigeria had abundant talents but was deficient in sports infrastructure.
The Chairman of the Main Organizing Committee of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival in Ogun State said that to this end the facilities provided for the games by the Dapo Aboidun led government would further enhance sports development not only in Ogun state but in Nigeria as the NSC was keen on organizing competitions that would not only discovering new talents but give the athletes enough events to helping honing their talents as well as the platform to excel internationally.
He said the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes was one of such programs initiated by the NSC aimed at priming the young athletes for future international competitions even as he revealed that the Commission was already initiating other programs that would keep the athletes in constant competitions and exposure.
Hon. Olopade however urged the private sector to partner with the Commission towards achieving lofty heights in international sports saying they should leverage on the ability of sports to announce their product and services to the international community at no extra cost asserting that sports was a sure way of reaching billions of people without breaking a sweat.
The National Sports Commission Director General also lauded the various states at the ongoing National Sports Festival for their peaceful conduct and urged them to sustain the tempo while assuring that the games would be a memorable one that would be remembered as the best in the annals of the National Sports Festival.
RUGBY WOULD MAKE A RETURN IN NEXT SPORTS FESTIVAL
-ARE.
JudeAgbeyeke
The President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, Dr. Sunny Are has averred that the sport would make a return to the National Sports Festival in Enugu as the federation was already working on modalities to ensure that what led to the sport not being included in the ongoing National Sports Festival in Ogun State did not repeat itself.
Dr. Are in interview with journalists covering the games in Abeokuta said that Rugby was initially listed among the sports that would be contested for at the games but due to discordant tunes from some quarters the sport was delisted.
The former Director sports development in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development now National Sports Commission said that though the exclusion of Rugby was not a welcomed development to the body, it was already working to put the game back in the schedule for the 23RD National Sports Festival in Enugu saying the sport was already becoming the rave among Nigerians youths and it would be disheartening for the sport not to included in subsequent National Sports meets.
Dr. Are who is also a member of the Main Organizing Committee of the ongoing National Sports Festival tagged Gateway Games Ogun 2024 lauded the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun for the quality of infrastructure provided for the biennial sports fiesta saying that the facilities would enhance the performances of the athletes at the games and beyond.
He said the facilities was in tandem with the aspirations of the National Sports Commission led by Mallam Shehu Dikko to reinvigorate the nations sports industry stressing that there was need for other states to emulate the Ogun State Governor by providing such facilities in their various states.
