The Chief Coach of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Frederick Yamala, has said that it would be very difficult to detect athletes using steroid during the forthcoming Nigeria Polytechnics Games (NIPOGA).

Yamala stated this in Lagos at the presentation of the institution’s athletes for the 17th NIPOGA, slated to hold at the Federal Polytechnic, Ede between yesterday and April 21.

Yamala explained that NIPOGA had not acquired the anti doping facilities with which to screen out such athletes, saying, the issue of doping “still remains a great challenge”.

“The Nigeria Universities Games and the West Africa Universities Games are already versed in the detection of athletes on steroid because they have the equipment to that effect.

“In NIPOGA, it remains a great challenge, because we are yet to acquire the equipment. It remains a great challenge because it has not been addressed.

“We are seriously looking into the issue and will soon overcome it. It is going to top our agenda at NIPOGA’s next stakeholders meeting,” the coach said.

He however promised that the organisers would do everything possible to curb the use of steroid by athletes at the Ede Games.

Yamala said that YABATECH would storm the Games with 119 athletes of 65 female and 54 male athletes, as well as 26 technical officials.

The coach said that the institution would feature in all events at the games.

Events lined up in the 17TH edition of NIPOGA are: athletics, tennis, table tennis, and chess.

Others he said were taekwondo, chess, basketball, football, judo, squash, badminton, scrabble, handball and volleyball.

Speaking earlier, the chairman, School Sports Committee, Samuel Adeakin, said that the institution was set to emerge the overall champions at the two week event.

Adeakin said that the institution intended to surpass its previous third placed position at the last Games held last year at Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, and reclaim its pride of place in NIPOGA events.

“Apart from the past three editions, we have always emerged as the overall champions at NIPOGA and we are returning to the top again this year”, he said.

“The only challenges we may have at the Games will be from the hosts and perhaps Kaduna Polytechnic.

“To win the Games, we are focusing more on individual events to team events, we are hopeful that individual events will fetch us more medals than team events,’’ he said.