Joel Ajayi
Chief Executive Officer of the National Sports Commission’s Elites Athletes and Podium Board, Yusuf Ali, has stated that Nigeria will do everything possible within her reach to ensure an improved Podium performance at Olympics and any others international events.
He gave this assurance shortly after the board was inaugurated in Abuja that only sports and athletes with the medal hopefuls would be allowed in the training session for the Olympics and other international competitions.
Yusuf Alli, a former Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission who ruled the Africa Long Jump event for over 27 years, was unequivocal on Nigeria’s participation in the subsequent Olympic Games as he said that it is no longer going to be a jamboree.
“Nigeria’s participation in the subsequent international competitions, being it Africa Games, is no longer going to be business as usual. If the athletes’ performance in whichever event is not the games’ record time or better, he/she would not be considered attending the competition. We’re targeting an athlete snatching two superior medals in the event featured, and not a ‘clapperboard’ in the team.
This is a signal to the usual crowd that accompanies the Nigeria team in any competition”, Yusuf Ali said.
Skippo, as he is fondly called, said, “Collegiate Sports would need to be resuscitated to discover talented athletes who can take the world by storm, and make the country proud”.
According to Ali, the fire brigade approach is no longer going to be the way Nigeria must prepare for major events. “For the Olympic Games, Nigeria starts preparations when the games torch arrives Nigeria. That’s not supposed to be the situation.
Decrying the number of talents that has left the shores of Nigeria for better opportunities, Alli estimated that in the last one year about 184 athletes have left Nigeria for the USA with Edo and Delta states accounting for over 60 of these athletes.
He, however, advised for early preparations for the Olympics games rather than the usual fire brigade approach.
The former two term Technical Director and former Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Vice-President also called for the drafting of a sports template that will stand the test of time for Nigeria
