11th July, 2018
Lagos State will storm the National Youth Games in Ilorin with 300 athletes, the Director-General, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Babatunde Bank-Anthony has said.
Bank-Anthony made the disclosure on Wednesday in Lagos while speaking on the state’s readiness the Youth Games coming up in September.
The LSSC boss said the state would provide a strong contingent but not with a must win mentality, adding that youth Games were developmental activities.
“We are going to present 300 strong athletes for the National Youth Games coming up in Ilorin in September and we will compete in 34 or 35 games.
“We have had meetings on how the Games will look like in the age category and I said that all those in U-15 range should be in school.
“I suggested that their registration should be based on the school enrolments. We should not use their birth certificate because 15-year-old should be in secondary school.
“In Lagos State, we don’t believe in age cheating because youth Games is all about discovery and development of young athletes, there should be no room for cheating, not win at all cost,’’ he said.
Bank-Anthony said that all the young athletes from the state had identification numbers with the aim of preparing them for the future and not just for one tournament.
“In Lagos today, our U-15 is U-15, they are in school, and they are not mercenaries. All our athletes have their identification numbers from their various schools.
“By this, it is easy to find them. If we need them we will go to their schools because we already know where they are.
“Our athletes don’t have the mindset of winning at all cost, they are being prepared for future tournaments and I have proof of this.
“Our players, in two years from now, we can track them because we have them in our database. Lagos is known for grassroots development and we are ready to go and showcase our real talents,’’ he said.