Director of Rivers State Sports Institute Isaka JJ Kio has
identified lack of proper sports personnel, patriotism, passion and faulty
system as major set back of sports in Nigeria.

Kio made this known while speaking with Tidesports recently
in Port Harcourt.

According to him, sports programmes/competition, man-power,
availability of supplies, funding/sponsorship and research efforts toward
sports development are the basic parameters for sports developments.

He said that in the absence of these common factors which he
described as the foundation of any country’s sports life, then the growth of
sports would retrogress.

He continued that when there is no replacement of retired
coaches or a situation where a coach has to be moved frequently coupled with
bad economy could affect the product in the final analysis.

He however, opined that sports administrators should go back
to the basis and ensure that there are quality personnel, because the quality
of pupils or athletes depend on the teacher/coach.

“The entire country should be designed as one entity, so
that, marathon would be established in North, swimming in South-South and other
appropriate sports be developed in East and West with standby coaches to train
athletes ahead of future tasks,” he said.

The Sports Director, also said that there should be stadia
available to all sports associations such as track and field events to enable
athletes have the needed facilities to train with in order to achieve the
desired result.