The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, said President Bola Tinubu’s advice when he appointed the leadership of the NSC has been yielding desirable results.
Olopade stated this while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the ongoing Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) U-18/U-2O championships in Abeokuta.
He said that Tinubu urged the leadership of NSC not to focus only on attending competitions outside the country, but to host more international competitions.
“This is what President Bola Tinubu was talking about when he gave us the mandate at the commission not to focus only on sports consumption by attending competitions outside the country.
“He asked us to host more international competitions here in Nigeria that will benefit our young athletes,” he said.
Olopade also appreciated Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun for reviving sports in the state and making Abeokuta an international sports hub.
“Ogun is now a sporting hub not only at a national level but at an international standard, capable of attracting the very best of international stars
“This championship is coming barely two months after Ogun hosted unarguably one of the best organised National Sports Festivals, tagged Gateway Games 2024.
“The governor is even determined to do more to leave an unmatched sporting legacy for the youth of the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, hosts Nigeria and defending champions South Africa have begun to showcase their talents on the opening day with eye-catching performances, especially in the men’s and women’s 100m heats and the triple jump final.
Nigeria’s Praise Ikweki won a bronze medal in the high jump event, being the first medal for the country at the championships.
Ikwesi, who paired with Melvin Ododo, started from 1.80m, achieving a perfect record until a near miss at 2.03m before he won his third attempt to scale to the next round.
He missed his three attempts at 2.06m after hitting the pole, paving the way for South Africa’s Mateo Le Roux, who won the gold.
In the U-18 Heat one 100m event race, South Africa’s Mukona Manavhela finished in a time of 11.38 while Nigeria’s Igbigbidje Clifford also qualified for the semi-final in a time of 11.44.
In the female category, Nigeria’s Mariam Jegede won the first heat of the U-18 Girls’ 100m, clocking a time of 12.13s. At the same time, Congo’s Boukama Gladys finished second in 12.47s and Ghana’s Darkoah Kwateng ran 12.64s to settle for third.