The Director of Sports Development, Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr Olumide Nunayon Travih, has commended the support the Lagos State contingent to the ongoing 2023 National Para Games has received from the Executive Governor of the state, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu which has made the participating of the team a success.
Travih told reporters at the ongoing games at Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on Tuesday that Governor Sanwo-Olu has been maganimous in his support to sports in the state, and more importantly, his passion for the People With Disabilities (PWD) for them to join their counterparts from other states in this year’s National Para Games.
“On behalf of the team, I am grateful to Mr Governor for his support towards our coming to Abuja for the games and I must also thank our Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende and our Director General at the Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafaar, for believing in us coming for this national tournament. I am also grateful to God Almighty” he said.
Travih applauded the performance of the athletes since the competition started, saying ” the outing is encouraging. We are within the top three, and I must say that we will ensure that we maintain this as the games progresses, notwithstanding the opposition.”
He assured that the next edition of the para games would be a different ball game for Team Lagos as all lessons learnt from this second edition will be improved upon.
“We will ensure that all training and preparation needs are well packaged so that our second outing in the third edition of the National Para Games will be better,” he said.
The Director of Sports Development, however, appealed to the organisers of the para games to organise the games within the calendar of sports so that states can make adequate preparation in the future.
“Having the National Para Games in December is a bit difficult for states whose athletes supposed to have this period to rest and be looking forward to the New Year programmes.
“The season is ending already, but this games has forced us to train late into the season when athletes and officials supposed to be resting for the commencement of 2024 season,” he said.
Speaking on the challenges associated with the para games for the PWD athletes, Travih said, though the challenge is high, Lagos has been able to overcome this because the state has a government which is proactive.
“But for us in Lagos, we have been been able to surmount the technicality that comes with preparing and featuring PWD athletes in this kind of special national competition. The technicality is enormous. The athletes have special mobility equipment. The nature of the vehicles we have in this country is not made for PWD athletes. There are lots of technicalities to get them to the games venues and the hostels.
“Thank goodness, in Lagos, we have the human resources which the state government have put in place to manage and to handle this. We cannot thank our sports loving governor enough for giving sports the attention it deserves in Lagos State,” Travih said.
