Director-General of National Sports Commission, Chief Bukola Olopade says the bold and visionary initiative of Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) introduced at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival holding in Ogun State, is to redefine the future of Ni
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The Director General who described IJA as 38th State competing at the sports festival, revealed this while delivering his key note address at the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival, tagged, " Ogun 2024 Gateway Games,", at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena
The IJA concept, introduced by the National Sports Commission (NSC), was not just another programme, it is an historic attempt to bridge the long-broken gap between grassroots sports and elite competition.
Olopade, while explaining the strategic purpose behind IJA during his recent interaction with the athletes, revealed that it was a deliberate pathway to identify, nurture and elevate young athletes to National and International standards.8k
"90 percent of the athletes representing IJA were under 17, handpicked from last year’s Youth Games in Asaba, all are champions in their respective sports. These young stars now compete as the symbolic 38th State at the National Sports Festival. If even one of them wins a medal, just a bronze, that child immediately becomes part of the elite cadre, that’s history, that’s transformation. We’re proud to be the ones changing that narrative. With IJA, we’re getting it right,” Olopade said.
He stated further that any medal-winning IJA athletes would automatically qualify for the NSC Athlete Grant, a financial and developmental support system that prepares athletes for global events like the 2028 Olympics and the Commonwealth Game.
The DG emphasized that for years, Nigeria had struggled to create a working model that connects local talent to international excellence.
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