National Sports Commission (NSC) director-general, Honourable Bukola Olopade has projected that all young athletes heading to Lagos State for the first National Intermediate Games In October will gain inspiration from competing at venues located within academic settings.
Sports247 reports that Olopade highlighted the positive effects of staging some events at academic institutions in Lagos, which he believes will inspire the youthful competitors to be at their best.
Olopade reasoned that, since all athletes who will feature during the forthcoming festival in ‘The Centre of Excellence’ are expected to be students, they are bound to be motivated while competing at Yaba College of Technology and University of Lagos.
The NSC’s top shot further averred that Lagos State as a whole has developmental status, ideals and values attached to it, hence its emergence as a logical choice for hosting the maiden edition of the upcoming games, which will serve as a bridge between the best of Nigeria’s junior athletes and senior ones.
He added that the festival will be organised under the NSC’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE), as a step towards getting a strategic development path for athletes aged between 15 and 18, which he stressed represents a crucial stage in sppriaches to athlete development.
‘DG’ added, “The only state that could bridge the gap that has been so obvious in our sports is Lagos. Not just in organising, but proactively. Lagos has created a system that brings school children to the top echelon of sports.
“It is only fitting that we bring the next level of growth in sports to Lagos to host and showcase that we can do things better. Lagos has consistently shown that it can lead from the front and bridge the gap that exists in our sports.”
Sports247 gathered further that Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere will be the main arena, while other venues include the adjacent Lagos National Stadium, as well as Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba; Agege Township Stadium; Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan; and Elegbata Sports Complex.
Other venues include Lagos Tennis Club, Onikan, TBS Cricket Oval, Yaba College of Technology and University of Lagos, all of which are earmarked to stage specific events related to the history of sports activities, disciplines and operational capacity they are already known for.
