A former African Table Tennis Champion, Kasali Lasisi, has called for the decentralisation of sports development, with the introduction of mini sports development centres across the 16 local government areas of Kwara.
The ex-Kwara Table Tennis Coach said this in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin.
He said the decentralisation of sports in the state, if done will result in a move which, he says, will not only assist in the discovery of new talents but will create jobs.
Lasisi, however, commended Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, for setting mercenaries in motion for the staging of the state’s 7th Sports Festival, adding that the event has opened new sports development doors for the state and Nigeria.
While analysing the situation, Coach Lasisi described AbdulRahzaq as a sports-loving governor who is very much interested in developing sports, going by the way he approved the staging of the festival that was last held 15 years ago.
“Other events which happened before and after the festival in the state have shown that more development will be witnessed in the sector during his tenure.
“The Governor did not only support the Games financially, but he was also part of the show, as he was always present at the stadium to watch the games. That was a good one from him,” he said.
Coach Lasisi, however, said that more efforts need to be invested in future events, to allow for the discovery of new talents from the nooks and crannies of the state.
