Officials at the upcoming maiden Intermediate Games in Lagos State will rely heavily on information gained from verifiable details provided through the National Identification Number (NIN) data of registered participants for the competition before the commencement of events.
Sports247 reports that this was disclosed by Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) director-general, Lekan Fatodu, who added that using NIN data issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will help in identifying the real ages of athletes.
Fatodu added that the process will be carried out in partnership with the National Sports Commission (NSC), which has already deployed digital technology based on NIMC’s database in their spirited effort to curb age-cheating during the maiden National Intermediate Games.
While asserting that the National Intermediate Games was established for athletes between the ages of 15 and 18, Fatodu stressed that ‘Eko 2026,’ which is scheduled for October 1st to 15th, would be free of age cheats, as the screening will rely on verifiable NIMC data.
He added that a dedicated committee will be on the ground to pull out over-aged athletes and curb potential malpractices during the Games, which is expected to draw between 14,000 and 15,000 competitors from all 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We are using NIMC. Following productive conversations with them, the NSC accepted the framework. We have a dedicated committee working to ensure that the platform legitimises every athlete entered for the competition.
“In partnership with the NSC and NIMC, we have established robust digital interventions to quickly flag and identify irregularities. While we won’t reveal all the technical details publicly, I can assure you the system is airtight,” Fatodu affirmed.
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