Sports
30 Begin Olympic Solidarity Course In Lagos
A three-day Olympic Soli
darity Advanced Management Course organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for sports administrators began on Tuesday in Lagos with 30 participants.
The organisers said that the course, put together in collaboration with the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), is to prepare them for better adaptation to the objective of the Olympic Solidarity Itinerant School on sport administration.
The President of NOC, Habu Gumel, said that he was glad that the participants were senior officials of the various institutions who were responsible for sports matters in Nigeria.
“It is for the development of sports administration in Nigeria through the assistance of the Olympic Solidarity.
“The course is to offer NOC the opportunity to train sport administrators across the country.
“It is for NOC, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the national federations and other sports bodies or volunteers who have the responsibility for managing projects in their organisations.
“This particular course is quite unique in the sense that this is the third time it is being organised in Nigeria,’’ said Gumel who was represented by Tony Ubani, the NOC spokesman.
He said that the IOC through the Olympic Solidarity was committed to promoting sports management globally.
“There is need for active collaboration in the efforts by all to ensure the programme succeeds in the states or organisations.
“This will enable Nigeria not be left out of emerging global trends in sports administration,’’ he said.
Gumel promised that the NOC would continue to work hard within the limits of its ability and resources to uplift the ideals of the Olympic Movement, especially in education.
“The IOC has been very influential through its continuous financial and logistics support which have enabled us to put programmes of this nature at the disposal of our sports administrators.
Also, the Secretary-General of NOC, Tunde Popoola, appealed to the participants to utilise the skills acquired by putting into practice what they learnt at the seminar.
“It will do us all good when we put into use what we learn. It’s of no use learning and not experimenting with it,’’ he said.
Tidesports reports that 2 members of the management staff of the Lagos State Sports Commission are taking part in the seminar holding at the Command Guest House, Apapa.
The seminar is being facilitated by Clement Fasan, a professor of Kinetics and Physical Education at the Lagos State University and Jonathan Dyajas of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa .
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Business11 hours ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Rivers11 hours ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
Featured6 hours agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
Aviation11 hours ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Nation4 days agoEducation Commissioner Seeks media Collaboration In Rivers
-
Nation4 days agoRSUBE Holds Training For 1,000 New Teachers To Strengthen Basic Education
-
Politics11 hours ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics10 hours agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20