Sports
Sports Minister Graces Revived Kwara Sports Festival
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has said that the importance of grassroots sports development cannot be over- emphasised.
He said this while speaking to newsmen at the grand finale of the Kwara State Sports Festival on Saturday.
He added that the resuscitation of the sports event was “a step in the right direction:” This is where we want to be when it comes to sports development and by that, I mean the promotion of grassroots sports development. We want to see the commitment of state governors to grassroots sports development.
“Fifteen years after the last sports festival was held, we are having this, so there is a renaissance taking place and I am always very glad when I see the youth involved in sporting activities.
“We are looking for young talents that we can nurture in athletics, weight lifting, boxing and I am really glad to be here.”
The minister assured of the readiness of team Nigeria in athletics for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics: “What happened on Friday with Tobi Amusan, who is now globally seeded number two by IAAF which signposts the future of Nigerian athletics.
“We have the Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Blessing Okagbare, Divine Oduduru. This country has one of the best relay teams about the third or the fourth in the world, we were second before and we are trying to re-enact where we were before when it comes to relay. So athletics wise, we are ready for the Olympics.”
The Kwara State Sports Festival was held at the Kwara Sports complex with the minister as special guest.
Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman resuscitated the event 15 years after the last festival was held.
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”