President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed concern over the recent poor outings of Nigeria in global sporting engagements, especially the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, blaming the development on aging athletes.
Tinubu made the remark in Asaba on Thursday while flagging off the 8th edition of the National Youth Games with over 5,000 athletes from across the country participating
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh, noted that Nigeria’s performance in sports had declined considerably, making it imperative that young athletes be discovered to take over from the aging ones to be able to restore the nation’s sporting glory.
He stated that the National Youth Games was one variable platform to discover and nurture young athletes, just as it had become a tool for national unity, which had also helped to build new friendships among athletes from different states of the federation.
The President pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to sustaining and improving on the games in the years ahead, assuring that the age limit for the games would be raised to 17 years, as against the current 15 years, as advocated by Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
In his address, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori pledged the partnership of Delta State with the Federal Government towards ensuring the realization of the set objectives of the National Youth Games.
The Governor underscored the importance of sports as a cost effective and reliable tool to promote national unity, enhance development and build bridges of peace for both the national and sub-national governments.
He noted that there had been a decline in the country’s performance in sports in the recent times, and called for drastic measures to reverse the trend, even as he advocated the age limit for participation in the games to be 17 years, as against the current 15 years, which he observed was not in the interest of sports development in the country
Oborevwori congratulated the athletes on their qualification for the games and urged them to compete fairly and work hard to win medals for their states, while assuring that adequate arrangements were in place to make their stay in Asaba safe and conducive.
Earlier, the Chairman, Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the games, Chief Solomon Ogba, expressed appreciation to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for his tremendous moral and financial support for Delta athletes, coaches, officials and the State Sports Commission, which he said was a great source of encouragement for the LOC to prepare for the hosting.
Chief Ogba said the games promised to be a memorable experience for the athletes and officials of the participating states and urged them to savour the excitement of the competition.
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