The Director of Sports Development, Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Travih Olumide Nunayo is optimistic that with Team Lagos winning three medals on Day One at the 7th National Youth Games, it shows that the state is fully prepared and ready to surpass previous games’ records.
Independent News Express reports that Team Lagos hauled these medals in weightlifting through 11-year-old Chinasa Ezenwa who won two gold medals in the clean and jerk event and one bronze in snatch at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State on Saturday.
He assured that Ezenwa’s feat will definitely encourage other athletes fighting for honour in the ongoing games, adding that Team Lagos do not place a high premium on winning medals at all costs, as the management of Lagos State Sports Commission views the National Youth Games as a platform to discover and groom talent.
On the screening exercise conducted by the National Screening Committee of the Games where one of the state’s athletes was disqualified, Nunayo said that the state has appealed the disqualification of the athlete. He added that notwithstanding this, one athlete disqualified would affect the state’s focus on making it in the competition.
According to him, a lot of states suffered casualties of disqualification with a large number of athletes, while Lagos only had one.
“While we have appealed the disqualification of one of our athletes out of 299 we registered for the Games, I want to assure you that we are very much on course. We won’t be distracted with this. The team is up to the task of facing the challenges of this championship,” Nunayo said.
