However savouring the euphoria of the country’s record-breaking functionality at the 19th Intercontinental College Activity Federation (ISF) Gymnasiade in Normandy, France, Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) President, Olabisi Joseph, has known as on governments at all ranges and the company sector to assist produce the sport at the grassroots degree.
Nigeria broke a 50-12 months jinx at the 19th ISF Gymnasiade and put the country again on the intercontinental school sports activities map. With 10 athletes competing in athletics gatherings, Nigeria won just one gold medal in 3000m to end 21st on the medals table in the levels of competition, which highlighted thousands of athletes from 63 countries in 20 gatherings.
6 of the athletes produced it to the last of their several events, although Ronke Akanbi of Yewa College claimed the only gold medal for Nigeria in the girls’ 3000.
Talking for the duration of a reception for the 10 Nigerian athletes in the just concluded ISF party, NSSF President, Olabisi Joseph, said: “We are so enthusiastic with the functionality of the athletes that with tiny training, they were being capable to rub shoulders with their counterparts across the globe.
“For most of the athletes, this will probably be the 1st time they are travelling outside the house the region and with the unfriendly weather conditions in France, they held sway versus their counterparts which for us as a federation has shown that with quality preparing, we can have our athletes earning it to the podium in most of the activities.”
She explained Nigeria had not participated in the function in the very last 50 yrs, including that the gold medal broke the jinx in France.
“I am very pleased of our children, acquiring to France, they competed with their counterparts from 63 other nations around the world throughout the planet. On the basic medals table, we are 21st, even while we participated in one celebration out of the 20, we nonetheless built it to the medal desk and it is anything commendable.
“In the athletics occasion, we had been 10th. We have learnt a good deal from this environment event… we have learnt that we must prepare previously so that we can earn additional laurels. We will be functioning with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, to integrate these little ones into the mainstream of athletics in Nigeria.
“We will carry on to really encourage our small children to take part in a lot more gatherings to develop far more platforms for them so that by the time we go to the next international college sporting activities federation party, we will arrive household with bags of laurels.”
Aside from the laurels in France, Joseph was also elected as the very first African girl member of the Worldwide Faculty Athletics Federation (ISSF) government committee.
To develop additional chances for Nigerian kids to excel in athletics, Joseph known as on the Federal and condition governments, the Ministry of Youths and Sports, as nicely as the Ministry of Education and corporate organisations to assistance university sports and give college students with skills the possibility to contend with their counterparts around the world.
“We are not able to enable the stars we have to rot away in this nation, permit us give them the prospect to take part and contend with their counterparts throughout the entire world and ISF has that platform. We will be in a position to establish a stronger group from Nigeria to be certain we are not missing in all ISF organised situations,” she added
Workforce Captain, Temitope Olusesan, mentioned it was a privilege to captain the staff, adding that it was an thrilling experience to stand for Nigeria in the competitiveness, as it exposed them to so a lot of chances in sports.
She expressed contentment that they have been capable to bring back a gold medal and place the nation on the checklist of medals winners in the planet competitiveness.
Olusesan joined the contact for guidance from the authorities and the non-public sector in providing infrastructure to help college students to hone their abilities and be able to contend effectively with their overseas counterparts.
Team coach, Ernest Ijeoma, thanked the NSSF for providing college students the possibility to depict the state, incorporating, nonetheless, that the workforce would have carried out better but for inclement weather and unfamiliar food, which afflicted the athletes.
He claimed the college students participated in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 3,000, relays, shot set, discus, prolonged jump and triple soar activities.
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