Governor Dapo Abiodun says Ogun State is not just hosting the 22nd National Sports Festival in 2024 but also to win the sports fiesta
The governor expressed the determination of the state to win the next sports festival during a receiption held at Oba Complex in Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, to appreciate medalists for Team-Ogun who won 70 medals ,comprising of 15 gold, 18 silver and 37 bronze medals and finished at eight po at the last 21st National Sports Festival held in Asaba, the Delta State capital
"I will to encourage all of you to start preparing for this competition in earnest, as suggested, we must be prepared, you want me to camp you for one year, I will camp you for one year, our determination is not just to host, but to host and win", he declared
He added that his administration would camp the athletes for a year, saying that his administration would soon launch its sports trust fund.
Abiodun splashed N33million on the athletes with each of the gold medalists getting a million naira, Silver, being rewarded with N500,000 and bronze got N250,000 each while other athletes who participated got N100,000 each
" You've done us proud, but I am sure that you will do better when we are hosting that festival. To that end, I am going to be supporting and encouraging all our gold medalists with a sum of N1m each, all our eighteen silver medalists will get N500,000 each, while our thirty-seven bronze medalists will go home with N250,000 each", the governor stated
" All those that went and didn't win a medal, we will also appreciate you. To encourage you, we will give each and every one of you one hundred thousand naira," he added.
Abiodun while commending the athletes for doing the state proud at the festival, also noted that his administration would also be rewarding the coaches who were responsible for their success at the sport festival.
"You have demonstrated your love, passion, commitment and your high level of responsibility in all the games you participated in, you have flown the Ogun colours very well.
"Our coaches will not be left out, the coaches that are looking after you, we will also look after them as well so they can be further motivated and inspired to continue to work as hard as they've done that have allowed you to win all this medals," the governor stated
While noting that the performance of the athletes would further motivate him to support them, Abiodun promised that the next National Sports Festival to be hosted by the state would be a reference point for future sports festivals.
" I want to assure all our participants, all our young men and women that are athletes that the next sports festival in 2024 will be a reference sports festival for many years to come. When we do things in Ogun State, we don't like to come second, we have what we call Ogun Standard and they will see a sports festival they've never seen before, we will ensure that all the locations, equipment are world class," he said.
The governor also exprerssed the readiness of his administration to launch the Sports Trust Fund, to provide the needed financial support to the sector
"We will soon be launching our sports trust fund, that fund has been on the drawing board for some time because we have been trying to figure out where the funds will come from and we have finally figured that out, so the issue of money will not be your problem," he said.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Youths and Sport, Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, while acknowledging the support of the governor towards the development of sports in the state, noted that the support of the governor towards the development of sports was the major reason why the state won the right to host the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival.
In their various remarks, the duo of Kemi Oyebola and Sunkanmi Adewale, while calling for more support and a better reward system for athletes in the state, called for early camping exercise towards the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival to be hosted by the state.
The State Director of Sports Council, Mrs.Iyabode Rotimi, who commended Governor Abiodun for supporting the development of sports in the state, urged the governor to look at the likelihood of giving some of their athletes who are not staff temporary appointment or stipends to motivate them and stop them from being usurped by others###
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