Former Nigeria athlete, Seigha Porbeni, has faulted the choice to take away some athletics occasions, together with hurdles, triple soar, discus, and javelin from the Nationwide Youth Video games (NYG), whose eighth version led to Asaba, Delta State, lately.
Though stakeholders have applauded the 2024 version of the Video games, Porbeni a former head coach of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) feels that the NYG wouldn’t serve its goal if sure key occasions weren’t reinstated within the competitors.
“How do you uncover abilities when those that make choices on sports activities and varied occasions within the Nationwide Youth Video games are largely non-professionals?” Porbeni requested.
“They canceled canoeing, smooth, and baseball, simply to say however a couple of. Then for the authorised sports activities, they chose the occasions and weight classes. Take athletics for example, there have been no hurdles, triple soar, discus, and javelin. You’ll agree with me that that is the precise age to introduce these children to those Olympic sports activities and occasions. “Even the occasions have been restricted to the variety of athletes. Why not enable the varied sports activities federations to organise their sports activities in accordance with their worldwide guidelines and laws?” He requested.
Porbeni, a former Director of Sports activities in Delta State, who additionally spoke on the poor monetary state of assorted sports activities federations stated: “The Sports activities Ministry should be financially concerned with federations’ preparations all through their preparatory interval earlier than and through main competitions.”
To revive grassroots sports activities throughout the nation, Porbeni referred to as for the return of Bodily Schooling (PE) Lecturers in colleges.
“Let’s take it from the faculties of the previous. Principals/Headmistresses and proprietors competed amongst themselves to have the very best athletes and extremely fascinating ones to win no matter trophies that have been out there inside their areas and nationally. At this time, it isn’t so. It’s unhappy.
“Most missionary colleges had Peace Corps from the UK and Rome, Italy. These women and men have been sportsmen. They drove their spiritual agenda with sporting actions. Additionally, most colleges at the moment hardly make use of PE academics and should not have house for leisure actions. What occurred to the Greyer Cup and Hussey Protect? These have been strictly secondary college championships. “Greyer was for the zones/areas, the place the very best have been chosen to symbolize their varied states on the Hussey Protect. Then, the internet hosting of this occasion by states was often extremely wanted. The nation benefitted massively from this singular occasion.
“Sadly, those that furthered their schooling in our universities have been by no means heard from once more as our college system has a manner of killing abilities. So, there’s a have to carry again Greyer Cup and Hussey Protect, name it another title. Thereafter, we should always enhance upon the aggressive worth of NUGA, NIPOGA, NATSEGA, and so forth, in addition to, have in place, inter-collegiate championships. I launched this some years in the past beneath the late Anthony Ikazobor as Minister of Sports activities,” Porbeni acknowledged.
