Team Lagos Captains, Olarinoye, Koleosho Speak On Edo 2020 NSF Outing, Say We Fared Better Than Abuja 2018

Adijat Adenike Olarinoye was the Female Team Captain of Lagos State Contingent at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival, while Ahmed Koleosho was the Male Team Captain. The duo reviewed Team Lagos outing at the Games while speaking with TAIWO ADELU, Associate Editor, P.M. EXPRESS during the Thank You reception organised for the athletes by the management of Lagos State Sports Commission at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Tuesday, 20 April, 2021. The two athletes made unanimous conclusion that they had a better outing in Edo 2020 compared to the result of Abuja 2018 festival

Adijat Adenike Olarinoye, a Weighlifter

Edo 2020 National Sports Festival was to me a fight it and win championship. I am so proud to say Team Lagos fought a good fight and we came back home with the fifth position overall on the medal table. This showed the tenacity and the ruggedness in Team Lagos. You can imagine a team with few contingent that could made it to the fifth position. I keep wondering what would have happened if we prosecuted the Games with our full team, we would have done much better.

I would love the state to work more on the welfare of the athletes and thank goodness the management of Lagos State Sports Commission said we should be expecting more from this.

It was so sad however seeing some of our colleagues who we were in Team Lagos before now competing for other states. They left because they were lured by their new states with mouth watering packages. It was their decision to leave Lagos,

I think the reason for their action cannot be unconnected with the fact that the sports festival has been the biggest competition that the athletes used to look up to every two years. It is our won fashion of Olympic Games. So many athletes depend on what they get during the festival to take care of themselves and families. Many athletes don’t have anything doing apart from sports. They have no other job. That is why they focus more on sports festival to get something for their pockets.

I love what is happening in Lagos because the focus is more on developmental for us to be all round athletes. So I wont blame the runaway athletes, but I believe loyalty always paid if one can endure and with Lagos is planning now, I want to trust in God that many of us that stay loyal with Lagos will laugh last.

Koleosho Ahmed, Para-table tennis athlete

Edo Games was a great tournament for us and I believe all the athletes enjoyed outing on the colours of Lagos State.

I want to thank the Lagos State Sports Commission for the welfare given to us at the Games. The allowances were paid on time. We did not lack anything and more importantly the encouragement given to us also gave us the spirit to fight on, even in the face of some unruly behaviours of some states contingents at the festival. The kits and welfare package was also superb.

When putting our outing in Edo and that of Abuja 2018 Games on a scale of comparison, I can say that we did well at the Edo 2020 because we were three gold medals short of what we got in Abuja even with few number of athletes to Edo Festival, while we were with full contingent to Abuja festival.

We performed far better than the last festival in Abuja. We went to Abuja with over 700 athletes, but in Edo 2020, we were a little over 200. We won three medals short of what we won in Abuja. This shows that we put more effort here.

The good thing is that Lagos paraded the youngest team at the festival, we had the best kits.