LAGOS- With less than two months to the National Sports Festival in Kaduna, athletes who will represent Lagos State at the Games, have yet to commence camping.
A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos showed that the delay had left the athletes uncertain of their participation in the biennial national Games in November.
The athletes expressed concern that without adequate preparations, they would certainly not perform well.
They also expressed worry that many of them, who depended on the stipends given them as allowances for survival, might be poached or drift to rival states.
The situation if unchecked will leave Lagos State without quality athletes and affect its overall performance, a development that will negate Gov. Babatunde Fashola’s efforts to develop sports in the state.
NAN reports that the Lagos State Sports Council had postponed the camping twice, with first on Aug. 4 and the second on Sept. 28.
Captain of the Lagos handball team, Anthony Obioha, told NAN that the delay was a sign of unseriousness toward sports development in the state.
“It is a clear indication that the state may not be interested in getting a better result than what they got at the 2006 Gateway Games,” he said.
Obioha said the disqualification of some sports at the final of the intra-zonal eliminations for the Games at Owo, showed that the state did not prepare adequately.
He said Lagos could have qualified in many sports for the national final in Kaduna in November if it had commenced camping early to detect some of their shortcomings,” he said.
Wasiu Alabi, a kick-boxer said the situation shows the state was not interested in getting a better result than what it got in previous festivals.
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