The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, has lauded the Tunde Delu Initiative for successfully organising the maiden RIYE Under-15 athletics circuit, describing the competition as a model for grassroots sports development in Nigeria.
Olopade, who was speaking at the grand finale of the meet on Friday, held at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta, hailed the convener, Honourable Tunde Delu, for creating a platform that uncovered promising young athletes from communities across Ogun State.
The DG said the initiative demonstrates Delu’s unwavering commitment to youth and sports development. He added that more private individuals should emulate such efforts to help identify and nurture the next generation of champions.
“Honourable Tunde Delu has shown genuine passion for sports development. This is the kind of initiative we need across the country.
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“He has created another pathway for young talents to be discovered, and I must commend him for investing in the future of these children through athletics,” Olopade stated.
According to the NSC DG, grassroots sports remain the bedrock of sustained sporting success as he urged more well-meaning Nigerians to invest in similar programmes that can transform young lives.
He added, “When we provide opportunities like this for children, we are doing much more than organising competitions. We are creating hope, building careers, producing future champions, creating wealth, and taking young people away from social vices.
“This is the direction sports development should take, and I encourage more people to support grassroots initiatives like this.”
The RIYE U15 Athletics Circuit began with zonal qualifying competitions across Ogun State’s four sporting districts: Remo, Ijebu, Yewa and Egba, before the best athletes converged on Abeokuta for the grand finale.
It featured boys and girls in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100m mixed relay, 4x400m mixed relay, shot put, long jump, and high jump.
The tournament attracted more than 2,000 athletes from over 200 schools across the state. Organisers reaffirmed their commitment to making the championship an annual platform for discovering and developing future athletics stars.
