Director-General of the National Sports Commission, (NSC), Dr Patrick Ekeji, has inaugurated members of the main organizing committee of the U-18 Inter Zonal Talent Hunt Competition. Speaking at the event, which took place in the NOC boardroom of the National Stadium, Lagos, Dr Ekeji reminded all the zonal coordinators and states’ director of sports present on the dwindling fortunes of the country in international sporting competitions’, which he claimed necessitated his action.

“Most of our athletes, who have for long been representing the country are now ageing and need to be replaced by fresh talents”, observed the NSC boss.

He added, “it is the realisation to reposition sports for higher performance alone through the injection of fresh talents into the mainstream that this competition is being organized”.

The NSC director-general thereby appointed all zonal coordinators and directors into the main organising committee which Mr Peter Nelson, the zonal coordinator of South-West zone was made the chairman of the MOC Mr Philip Gidado, the zonal coordinator of South-East was appointed as the secretary.

Nelson in his acceptance speech on behalf of other coordinators expressed their appreciations for the privilege extended to them to serve. He applauded the efforts of the NSC DG since assumption of office, to reposition sports at the grassroots level.

“This vision to bring in new and young athletes into the mainstream of Nigerian Sports to replace the ageing ones and your dynamic reformation in the NSC hierarchy within this short time you have spent at the helm of affairs shows clearly that the time for real sports development has come”, Nelson reiterated.

The Talent Hunt Competition itself is being organized by NSC only in sports which constitute the area of Nigeria’s strength in international competitions, which includes: track and field, boxing, teakwondo, table tennis, special sports, weight lifting and wrestling for the first place.