23rd November, 2012
Cecilia Arinye, an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Blue-Badged Umpire decried the use of elite athletes by the states in the National Sports Festivals(NSF).
Arinye said in Lagos that the aim of using the NSF to nurture budding talents would be defeated if the current practise was allowed to continue.
Arinye was in the Lagos State Table Tennis Team for the maiden edition of the NSF in 1973, which took place in Lagos.
She is currently the Director of Sports at the University of Lagos.
“The main objective of the NSF is to discover new talents and I strongly believe that bringing in elite athletes will not serve the purpose of the festival.
“A lot of us were discovered during the festival and we rose to stardom. There are lots of athletes at the grassroots yearning for recognition.
“The NSF is the major platform through which athletes are selected for the national teams,” she said.
While admitting that the states had the right to decide on how the NSF should be organised, she stressed that the spirit and letter of the NSF should, however, be respected.
Arinye also urged athletes to take their academic development seriously, adding that education and sports ought to go together.
“I am a Director of Sports today because I went to school. They must have a fallback position as their careers come to a close.
“It is the certificate that makes you relevant after your sports career because you cannot play forever, it is just not possible,” she stressed.