The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, has charged the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA) contingents to see their participation at the forthcoming 22nd National Sports Festival in Ogun State as a bold step towards achieving sporting greatness.
Olopade gave the charge when he visited the athletes at their training camp in Abuja on Wednesday, where he held an exciting interactive discussion with them to boost their morals ahead of the Games.
The DG reminded the athletes that they are the future of the country’s sports the reason President Bola Tinubu has given the Commission the backing to create the IJA concept into the Sports Festival starting with the Gateway Games.
“This is the first time Nigeria is having this sort of arrangement. That means for those of you who finally makes it to Abeokuta, your names would have been written in the history book forever. So work very hard to qualify to go to Abeokuta.
“We created the Invited Junior Athletes concept because we believe in the talents of young people that are bound in this country. If you have gone to the Youth Games and you are champion, let us then see how you grow into the elite cadre. And the only way you can grow into that cadre is by competing and beating the Elite Athletes.
“I want to assure you all that if you win 10 gold medals at the Festival in Ogun State, you have a big gift from the chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikkko”.
“Once again I have come to say thank you for your service to the nation, thank you for loving what you know how to do best and above all to charge you that this thing that you have started, May God lead and guide you all to greater heights.”
The IJA will compete in about nine sports at the Gateway Games which include athletics, badminton, football, para athletics, swimming, table tennis, tennis, wrestling and weightlifting.
Nigerian sports is currently receiving a breath of fresh air with the IJA concept where the very best of the country’s young athletes across multiple sports have been selected to feature at the 38th National Sports Festival.
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