Sports
Lagos Moves To Reclaim Top Spot At Sports Festival
Lagos State sports administrators and athletes say they will use the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt now postponed till June to reclaim their number one position at the national scene.
Basking in the euphoria of their successes at the zonal eliminations for the sports fiesta, they said that they were ready for the competition.
Although they have not moved into the final phase of camping, the officials and athletes training at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre, Yaba, said their 2010 performances was motivated by Governor Babatunde Fashola.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council, Agboola Dabiri, recalled that the state was pushed to the seventh positions in the 2006 and 2009 editions of the festival in Ogun and Kaduna states.
“This development has fired us up to initiate moves to come back to top other states.
“To achieve this, we started a number of grassroots talent hunt programmes and competitions to discover athletes for the state and ultimately for the nation.
“The government gave us its full backing financially and morally, while some individuals and NGOs joined the revival effort,” Agboola said.
Some of the activities sponsored by the government are the clinics for all the coaches in the different sports, the Sydney Asiodu Athletics Competition and the All Comers Athletics Meet.
Others are the Lagos Basketball Tournament for Secondary Schools, Karate Championships, the Lagos Speaker’s Cup Football Competition, The Governor’s Cup Football Competition and the State Sports Festival.
The rest are the Governors Cup International Squash Championships, the Monthly Saturday Boxing Show and the Inter-Local Government Councils Table tennis Championships.
In swimming, the Governors Special Adviser on Grassroots Sports Development, Wale Oladunjoye, sponsored the Lagos State Swimming Competition and the children of late Phil Ebosie sponsored the Phil Ebosie Memorial Swimming Competition.
The annual Asoju Oba Cup Table Tennis Championships sponsored by Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas and the Cowbell Para-soccer Competitions promoted by Promasidor Nigeria Ltd also held.
The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria also sponsored a basketball clinic with a promise that it would do the same for all the sports.
Agboola told newsmen that having undertaken these activities, the athletes were ready to improve on their zonal eliminations performances to win the festival.
“Gov. Babatunde Fashola is the brain behind the successes we achieved in 2010 and the only way we can reciprocate his gesture and efforts at sports development is by reclaiming the state’s lost glory.
“I urge the athletes to train well, be focused and ensure they win the sports fiesta,” he said.
In spite of these efforts, the swimming pool and the boxing gymnasium at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Centre still remain in deplorable state.
The contracts for their refurbishing were awarded but they have yet to be functional.
The sport’s authorities said that government would expedite action in reviving the facilities to ensure that the abundant talents in swimming and boxing would not defect to other states.
The council’s Head Coach, Kally Isaac-Dagogo also told newsmen that the technical department would ensure that athletes were given the best training for them to perform optimally.
Athletes who spoke with Tidesports were confident that the state would rule the sports festival because of their level of preparation and government’s welfare package.
Temitope Adesina, a basketball player said she was in good shape for the festival, adding that the basketball coach had engaged them in intensive training sessions.
“Although we are on course but the final phase of training for the festival should start in earnest,” she said.
Jide Omotayo, a table tennis player praised the government for its grassroots talent hunt programmes which, he said, had increased the state’s bank of athletes.
“I think Lagos has performed well in 2010. Our welfare remains top on their agenda and this will spur us into action,” Omotayo said.
Eniola Adejare, a swimmer scored the council’s performance low because the swimmers lacked competitions and the swimming pool in a deplorable state.
“We have lost our colleagues to other states because of the lack of competition and bad facilities.
“I think serious measures should be taken to arrest this defection of swimmers for us to have a successful outing at the National Sports Festival,” Adejare said.
The Bayelsa State government, yesterday, announced that the marathon will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The inaugural race is owned by the Bayelsa State Government and will be organised by Nilayo Sports Management Limited, a sports management company.
Under the theme “The Reveal,” the race represents a bold unveiling of Bayelsa’s immense human and cultural potential to the international community, inviting the world to witness the resilience, grit, and talent rooted in the heart of the Niger Delta.
According to the organisers, the race will be flagged off at 9:30 a.m., at the Opolo Roundabout, guiding participants through a carefully designed 10-kilometre route that highlights the scenic beauty and vibrant atmosphere of Yenagoa.
The course will culminate at Peace Park Square, where athletes will cross the finish line into a grand celebration of endurance, unity, and community spirit.
To elevate the experience for runners and spectators alike, the finish venue will host a high-energy post-race concert featuring performances from top A-list artistes, blending sport and entertainment in a festival-style atmosphere.
The organisers directed all registered participants to collect their race bibs and kits at the designated Peace Park Square between March 30 and April 3, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
The race, according to them, is currently on track for World Athletics accreditation, underscoring the commitment of both the Bayelsa State Government and Nilayo Sports Management Limited to delivering an event that meets the highest global standards.
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, on Friday continued the Commission’s nationwide appreciation tour with a visit to Abeokuta, where outstanding junior athlete, Majekodunmi Afusat Bisola, was presented with a cheque of N3 million.
The presentation forms part of the NSC’s initiative to recognise and reward exceptional junior athletes who distinguished themselves in 2025 and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s medal haul.
Majekodunmi delivered an impressive run of performances on the track. At the last edition of the National Sports Festival, she stormed to gold in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. She replicated the double triumph at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Junior Championship, in Abeokuta, before emerging as one of the standout stars at the African Youth Games in Luanda, Angola.
Speaking during the presentation, Olopade explained that the Commission deemed it necessary to extend financial appreciation to grassroots athletes after elite performers had earlier received grants running into thousands of dollars.
“A few weeks ago, after paying grants to our elite athletes, we agreed tthere was a need to also appreciate these young, budding talents who made Nigeria proud last year,” he said.
He disclosed that of the 376 medals recorded by Nigerian athletes in 2025, more than 200 were won by grassroots talents, underscoring the importance of sustained investment in youth development.