A recent display of wheelchair American football in Lagos has been described as another plaftform that gives fresh opportunities to physically challenged athletes to display their sporting talents in various ways.
Sports247 reports that this declaration was provided by the founder of American Football Elite Development (AFEDEV), Lawrence Ojaide, who stressed that disability does not rule out any individual from exhibitting one talent or the other.
Ojaide stated this after Liberty Pioneer emerged champions of the wheelchair American football exhibition games by defeating Atlantic Chargers 10-3 in the final of the inugural competition on the open courts of National Institute for Sports (NIS), Lagos.
The exhibition games featured four teams – Lagos Dynamos, Iron Invicta, Liberty Pioneers and Atlantic Chargers – who faced-off in a knockout format, with winners of the semi-finals advancing to the final, which Ojaide described as a very promising beginning.
He added that the decision to venture into wheelchair American football was driven by the need to create opportunities for athletes with disabilities and start his broader plan to establish a structured path through which talents with disabilities can pursue careers in the sport.
The enthusiast noted that the games also showcased growing potentials of athletes with physical disabilities, as all the players demonstrated speed, physicality, tactical awareness and determination, while the title decider produced a very competitive contest.
Atlantic Chargers put up a bold fight, but Liberty Pioneer proved stronger when it mattered most and finally got a 10-3 victory, all of which Ojaide said highlighted athletic qualities in persons with disabilities while also creating awareness for inclusive sports.
He reasoned further that successful organisation of the games also underlined the importance of giving athletes with disabilities regular opportunities to train, compete and showcase their talents, while also creating further awareness about wheelchair American football.
Ojaide concluded by pointing out that the exhibition offered an opportunity to further promote participation and development of the innovation, tgen praised the teams for giving spectators a glimpse of its potential to grow in Nigeria.
“This is a platform we believe that the media can help us to bring people out of their hiding, bring them out of their shells, to be able to take this opportunity, because there is room for them to make a better life.
“There are many people out there who are looking for these opportunities. Many people fell into these categories and life seemed very hopeless to them, because there was no opportunity to showcase what they have.
“There are so many disabled athletes. This gives them more opportunities, not only in a sport that tends to be one of the richest in the world, but also in a country where this has never happened before,” Ojaide assured.
