Sports
SWAN Backs Inclusion Of Shooting Sport In NSF
The President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Honour Sirawoo, has called for the inclusion of Shooting Sport as a competitive event in the National Sports Festival.
This is just as over 50 sports journalists from across the country have issued a communiqué calling for better recognition for shooting sport in view of its medal haul in international sports competitions.
The SWAN President spoke at the closing ceremony of a four-day Media Shooting Sport and Workshop in Abuja organised by the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation (NSSF).
While reiterating that Nigeria must pay attention to other sports, he called on administrators to emulate the NSSF in organizing workshops and seminars for sports journalists, who he says are the platforms upon which talents are discovered and nurtured to stardom.
Sirawoo commended the NSSF for its pioneering role in bringing sports journalists up to date in the technicalities of the sport, in addition to training them in the art of shooting sport.
Also speaking, the President of Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, Brigadier General Lonsdale Adeoye (Rtd) commended SWAN for partnering with the federation to give the sport a lift and also make it more popular among Nigerians.
He advocated more support for shooting sport, saying apart from its medal haul prospects, it was capable of putting Nigeria on the map of shooting sport nations.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the workshop, the participants commended the “NSSF under the leadership of its President, Brig. General Lonsdale Adeoye (Retired), Board members and the National leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) under the pragmatic leadership of President Honour Sirawoo for providing the platform for sport journalists to be equipped with requisite knowledge and skills in reporting shooting sport.”
While assuring of maximum cooperation with the NSSF in reporting the game and creating the required public knowledge and awareness about the sport, they called on other sports federations to emulate the NSSF in organising similar training and workshops for sports Journalists in order to achieve the tripod of sports development (administration, participation and promotion) in the country.
They also decried the non participation of Shooting sport in the National Sports Festival (NSF) and call on the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sport development to see to the inclusion of the game in subsequent festivals, while calling for the upgrading of the Nigeria national shooting range facilities and organization of regular competition across the country.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.