27th June, 2011
After two weeks of rigorous preparations, Lagos State contingent to the 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is ready to bring honours to the state.
The contingent, which consists of 384 athletes and 131 coaches will engage in 23 sports.
The team left for Port Harcourt early today and are focused on improving on their seventh place finished at the KADA Games in 2009.
Speaking on the preparations of the athletes during the sendforth ceremony organised by the state’s Sports Council, Director of Sports, Adewunmi Akinsanya, said the athletes are committed to winning laurels at the games. He added that the best athletes have been picked with a view to do well in Port Harcourt.
Captain of Team Lagos, Babatunde Mohammed, told P.M.Sports that the team were battle ready to compete with their counterparts across Nigeria. He said the athletes were ready to set a winning tempo ahead of next year’s games that would be hosted by Lagos State.
Femi Babafemi, Coach of Team Lagos and coach of the state’s boxing team, expressed satisfaction at the mental and physical state of his athletes. And he opined that they were ready to win more gold medals at the festival.
Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, has warned Team Lagos not to engage in any activity that could bring the image of the state into disrepute.
Fashola was at the Rowe Park to sendforth the athletes at the weekend and he told them to have the desire to win at the Games but not with questionable intents and desperation.
“I don’t want you to be desperate when you get to the Sports Festival, because desperation can lead athletes to cut corners, use drugs and cheat, which will bring shame to the state. Go there and compete with the desire to win gold medals in free and fair games. Let us demonstrate that we are truly from the Centre of Excellency,†the Governor Charged the athletes.
—Seun Bisuga
