Lagos Promises Support As Women In Sports Games Debuts

The Director General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu has restated the commitment of the Commission to use the instrumentality of sports to drive the development of girl-child and women.

He made the statement at the press briefing heralding the pilot edition of the National Association of Women in Sports Games held at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.

The Director General, who was represented by the Head, Sports Facilities, Deji Aladegbemi expressed his satisfaction with the choice of NAWIS for choosing the state of the aquatic splendour as the host city.

Fatodu said the Games will receive unwavering support of the Commission through the Associations, and the technical aid during the course of the event.

The regional event involving seven states is ongoing since 18 April across three different centres in the state, it will not be on 22 April.

“We are taking sports in Lagos to another level. We ensure that our athletes welfare are well taken care of and our coaches are given the right platform to improve on their capacity to deliver and to ensure that Lagos is back to where is used to be”.

He commended NAWIS intervention in sports ecosystem in regards to girl-child and women growth using sports to drive inclusion and offer them a platform to live their dreams, adding that it speaks to the association indelible footprints over the course of their existence as an organization.

Fatodu, further stated that the support will not stop and will continue to scale up to ensure that Lagos is always ready, in terms of Sports development.

In her remarks,the National President (NAWIS) Prof. Mariam Adefunke Suleiman highlighted that NAWIS has come to stay in Lagos owing to its activities of giving helping hands, to nurture, grow and develop girls and women in sports who have the desire to achieve or carry their profession to a greater height.

Professor Mariam further stated that NAWIS develop potentiality in sports, scout for talents and contributing to overall development of sporting talents, adding that it also serves as an avenue for federations to prepare their players for subsequent tournaments.

Speaking earlier, Tayo Popoola, President NAWIS, Lagos State Chapter, reiterated the readiness of the Association in providing an enabling environment for the pilot edition of the multi-sports event to celebrate girl-child and women in a unique way.

She said NAWIS Games was designed to identify talents and women that can make the country proud, saying it is also an opportunity to engage the mind of the people for something meaningful and its contribution to athletes career progression is inevitable.

Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Cricket, Basketball, Sitting volleyball, Badminton, and Handball are the approved sports for the pilot edition of NAWIS Games 2024.