Sports
Dalung Promises Drug-Free Sports In Nigeria
The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has promised to deliver a sports sector that is free of doping.
Tolu Makinde, the Director of Press in the ministry, said in a statement that the ministry would hold a seminar for Presidents and Secretaries of Sports Federations in Nigeria.
“This will be in collaboration with the National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC),” he quoted the Minister as saying in the statement in Abuja.
Dalung was quoted as saying the seminar was an integral part of the ministry’s efforts to evolve a sustainable and pragmatic anti-doping regime capable of achieving drug-free sports for Nigeria.
He said also that the seminar would raise the federations’ level of awareness and prepare them for meeting the challenges of anti-doping roles and responsibilities.
The minister said the seminar was to promote clean sports in Nigeria and ensure a sports sector that was free from drug scandals.
The statement showed that Dalung would be the Special Guest of Honour and he was expected to declare open the seminar tagged “Anti-Doping Seminar for Presidents and Secretaries of Sports Federations.”
“The event which is billed to hold in Abuja from December 5 to December 6 is aimed at equipping Federation Presidents and Secretaries with relevant information and anti-doping regulations, especially compliance with relevant articles of the world regulatory body.
“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has prescribed primary goals and guidelines, and information and education programmes for drug-free sports.
“The seminar is the first anti-doping information-education and specialised orientation activity to be organised for Presidents and Secretaries of Federations.
“It has the objective of inculcating strong anti-doping culture in the participants.
“It will also promote the virtue of fair play with a view to positively help in influencing attitudes and behaviours of athletes,” the statement read.
It added that the seminar would cover areas like History of Doping, Health Consequences of Doping, Athletes Whereabouts and Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Other areas are: Anti-Doping Roles and Responsibilities, Doping Control Process and Testing, Anti-Doping Rules Violations and Results Management and Sources and Control Mechanisms on Illicit Drugs.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.