The Chairmen of Lagos State Sports Associations have agreed that the only way they could meaningfully develop sports was to focus on grassroots sports development.
Focusing on this, they said would pave way for more budding talents to be nurtured to prominence to represent the state and the country in the nearest future at local and international competitions.
The Director of Communication, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Titi Oshodi, said that the chairmen of various sports associations made the resolution at their inaugural forum held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos State.
She said that the Chairman of Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Seyi Akinwunmi, who presided over the forum, expressed his displeasure with the dwindling fortune of sports in Lagos state.
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He noted that if all the chairmen of sports associations worked together and embarked on aggressive developmental sports programmes, the better it will be for sports in the state.
He advised all the chairmen of associations to organise regular events that would make sports grow and develop in the state.
“The state of sports in Lagos State is worrisome and I believe that if all chairmen of the sports associations can design long term strategic programmes, the better it will be for sports in the state.
“Presently, we want to start our programmes for sports from the grassroots by taking all the sports programmes to schools where we can develop and nurture talents.
“By doing this, we have returned to grassroots sports for which Lagos state is known. I want to urge my colleagues in other sports associations to look into this and if there are challenges, we association chairmen can rally round and support such a chairman,” he said.
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In the same vein, the Executive Chairman of the Governing Board of Lagos State Sports Commission, Kweku Tandoh, also said that the only way Lagos state could reclaim its lost glory is to embark on schools’ sports development.
He said that his joy was to see Lagos state having a pool of talents for sports in Nigeria, adding that he was not bothered if other states were poaching athletes from his state ahead of national sports competitions.
“I am not bothered if Lagos state has not won any national competition in recent times. My focus is how we can develop sports at the schools level.
“I want Lagos state to become a place where talents would be discovered and produced for Nigeria.
“If our athletes are representing the country in various international competitions, the glory will come to Lagos state because what people will be saying is that those athletes were discovered and nurtured from Lagos state.
“I hereby charge you to come up with various developmental programmes in line with the Lagos State Sports Policy,” Tandoh said. (NAN)
