18th November, 2010
Chairman of Lagos State Sports Council, LSSC, Agboola Dabiri, has charged the Ogun State government to provide adequate security for the state’s athletes and officials that will be competing in the forthcoming National Sports Festival Zonal elimination, which holds from 24 through 28 November in Abeokuta and Sagamu.
Speaking with P.M. Sports on the state’s preparation ahead of the zonal elimination that will see Lagos competing with the host, Ogun and Oyo States for the single ticket in Basketball, Handball, Hockey, Abula, Football and Volleyball, Dabiri disclosed that the state will be represented by 176 athletes.
The former chairman of Surulere Local Government said the athletes have been in closed camping preparing for the elimination after about eight weeks of open camping. The football and hockey teams are camped at the Games Village in Surulere, Lagos, while Handball, Volleyball, Basketball and Abula teams are accommodated at the Myong Barracks, Fadeyi, Lagos.
He said the state sees the mini festival as an avenue to prepare the athletes for the Sports Festival slated for Port Harcourt next year, adding that Lagos will be participating with the spirit of excellence that the state is known for.
The Director of Sports in the council, Adewunmi Ogunsanya, said the athletes in camp, who are more than 200, will be reduced to 176 athletes before their departure for the zonal elimination, which holds at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta and the newly commissioned Sagamu International Stadium.
Ogunsanya said the Sports Council will liaise with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and his Ogun State counterpart to provide an adequate security for not only the state athletes and officials but everybody that will be part of the zonal elimination.
—Wale Joseph
