Sports
Weightlifters Decry State Of Gymnasium
Some weightlifters at the weekend decried the poor state of the gymnasium at the National Stadium, Lagos, and implored the National Sports Commission (NSC) to rehabilitate the facility.
In separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, the weightlifters said that the state of disrepair of the gymnasium was adversely affecting their training.
Gladys Ezenwa (48kg) said that the state of the facilities was discouraging and a disincentive to the athletes.
Ezenwa said that a component of the weights, called babble, had become outdated and risky.
“The babble is bad, it even pulls off the iron rod when we drop it after lifting.
“We are putting our lives at risk by using those babbles; there is no toilet, water, light and even no source of ventilation, yet we train under this deplorable condition,’’ she said.
According to her, training at the gym during the raining season is also a nightmare as the whole place leaks.
“The broken floor also creates puddles when it rains,’’ Ezenwa said.
She noted that the bulk of Nigeria weightlifters, including past champions, were based in Lagos and that the gym needed to be upgraded.
Another weightlifter, Taiwo Olabanji (69kg), who corroborated what Ezenwa said, also complained of irregular competitions due to lack of sponsors.
“Competitions are major criteria for upgrading a weightlifter’s record because it’s an avenue to gain exposure and experience. But the opportunities are not realisable.
“The foundation has to be solid if we must produce good results, so the sports ministry should please come to our aid so that the sport will not die,’’ he said.
Olabanji said that some young athletes had been discouraged because of these problems, adding “some of us are still there because of the love and interest we have in the game’’.
Coach Obeh Johnson, however, urged the Minister of Sports and Chairman NSC, Ibrahim Bio, to fulfill the promise of rehabilitating the gymnasium that he made to athletes during his facility tour after assuming office.
“I am using this opportunity to remind the minister that the gymnasium needs urgent attention, especially with the rainy season; its really affecting the training of athletes.’’
Johnson said that two major international championships, the Youth Olympic in August and Commonwealth Games in October were around the corner and training should have started in earnest.
Bio was at the National Stadium and Games village in Lagos in April on a facility visit.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
-
Sports4 days agoArsenal Women End Man City’s Invincibility
-
Sports4 days agoU-20 WWC: Falconets claim qualifier win
-
Sports4 days agoInsurance Deepen Enyimba’s Trouble
-
Sports4 days agoYouth Olympics preparation Gears up
-
Sports4 days agoCologne Youth Team Set Crowd Record
-
Sports4 days agoTornadoes Set For NPFL exit over Stadium Ban
-
Sports4 days agoBarca Pull Out Of Super League Project
-
Sports4 days agoPalmer Stars As Chelsea Compound Wolves Woes