Lagos Tops Primary Schools Meet

Lagos on Thursday topped the maiden edition of the University Press Plc-sponsored National Primary School Athletics Championships tagged “Schoolympics’’ held at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.

The Tidesports source  reports that Lagos beat 15 participating states with a total of nine gold, three silver and four bronze medals in the 14 events featured in the competition.

In addition to emerging winners, Lagos also produced the most outstanding female athlete, Ubong Edet, who won three gold medals.

Kaduna, the runners-up with four gold, three and one bronze medals, had the best

male athlete, Abdulrahman Lawal, who bagged two gold medals.

Two-gold medal female winner, Adama Alabama, also came from Kaduna State.

Hosts Oyo, finished third with one gold and one bronze, while Imo came fourth with five silver and two bronze medals.

Ogun was fifth with two silver and six bronze medals, while Ekiti was sixth with one silver medal.

Edet, 14, a primary six pupil of African Church Primary School, Ifako-Ijaye, bagged her three gold in the 100m, 200m and 4X100m relay.

Lawal, 13, the best male athlete, who is a primary six pupil of  Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) School, Railway Quarters, Kaduna, won the boys’ 800m, 1500m and a silver in the 400m.

Alabama, 12, a primary six pupil also from LGEA School, Kaduna, won the 800m and 1500m.

Jubrin Hassan, Sports Officer, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said the state was represented by eight athletes, two of whom were disqualified for being over-aged.

Hassan said all their medals came mostly from the middle and long distance events.

Ganiyu Adebayo, the University Press Plc Executive Director  (Finance), expressed regret that no official from the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) or the National Sports Commission (NSC) was at the meet.

Adebayo said the absence of officials from both bodies would not deter the company from contributing its quota to sports development in the country.

He promised that the company would continue to sponsor the competition.

Raji Dimeji, President of the National Association of Primary Schools Games and Sports Teachers (NAPSGAST), organisers of the competition, described the competition as a huge success.

Dimeji said he was confident the success of the maiden edition would encourage more states to participate in subsequent events as well as attract more sponsors.