Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr Kweku Adedayo Tandoh has again reiterated that Team Lagos to this year’s National Sports Festival in Abuja will comprise young and aspiring budding athletes.
Though the Sports Festival has been thrown open by the sports authorities in the country, Tandoh told PM EXPRESS that Lagos State won’t say because of this it will be searching for anyhow athletes to represent it at the National Sports Festival, adding that this negates the policy of sports development of present Government of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.
“We have a large pool of young athletes in Lagos because we have all-year round sports development programmes to discover and groom budding athletes. That is the reason we won’t join other states to go on poaching in order to get athletes to represent us at the Abuja Games.
“While participating at the Sports Festival has been turned to the highest bidder with the states paying heavily to get athletes to feature in the games, even going to the extent of luring athletes with money from abroad, we in Lagos won’t do that. We will stick with our young athletes who will have exposed to series of competitions because they are our future. The idea of the National Sports Festival has already been defeated by throwing it open for anybody to come and participate. Nigerian Sports won’t benefit from this action.
“In Lagos, and as our sports loving Governor, His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has been saying, genuine sports development is what we are after so that we can give these young athletes the future and robust career in sports.
“You can see the performance of our athletes at the just concluded Zonal Eliminations Championships in Ibadan where out of nine team sports in contention for the six southwest states, Team Lagos won six sports in both female and male categories and either male or female in some.
“This is a positive indications that we are on the right tracks. Our athletes showed that their continuous exposure to regular completions all-year round is paying off. Our plan is to keep the tempo going on as we prepare for the Abuja 2018 National Sports Festival.
“I must give credit to Governor Ambode for this success as his timely response to our demands for funding and other supports have helped us to focus on these athletes and as we are getting set for the Sports Festival, I believe the Governor will strengthen, encourage and motivate us with his support, ” Tandoh said.
PM EXPRESS reports that at the end of the Zonal Eliminations held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, Team Lagos pick tickets in Basketball (male/female), Cricket (male/female), Football (male/Female), Beach Volleyball (female), Handball (male) and Volleyball (female)