Body says sports should be promoted in schools and at the grassroot level
The Athletic Federation of Nigeria has implored state and club coaches to scout for talents at the grassroots to represent the country in competitions.
Yusuf Ali, a board member of the federation, on Thursday said that the body could not identify hidden talents on its own.
According to him, talents abound in the country and only require being identified and showcased.
“We implore coaches at the state and club levels to scout for talents and bring them out because the AFN does not have eyes in the nooks and cranny of this country,” he said.
“We cannot do it alone; it is like government–without the local and state governments, the federal cannot do it all. We need to work together if we want athletics to develop. We have what it takes to move athletics in this country to the greatest heights in the world. I can attest to this from the AFN/Dr Olukoya U-18 Championships that were recently concluded in Lagos.”
Ali expressed optimism that with time and the developmental programmes put in place by the federation, the AFN would achieve its goal of making Nigerian sports the envy of other countries.
According to him, he and many other ex-athletes were discovered through school sports.
“I was discovered at St. Gregory’s College, Lagos and Falilat Ogunkoya and Mary Onyali were also discovered through the school sports,” he said. “I am not saying that it is only through the schools that we can discover talents, but it is also part of grassroots development. Talents can be discovered at the local government level too.”
