FOLLOWING the controversy that trailed the screening exercise at the ongoing National School Sports Festival tagged Calabar 2011, the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF) has explained its decision to disqualify some athletes from the championship.Some of the coaches have picked holes on the federation's screening procedures, while the NSSF has in turn accused teachers of aiding cheating in the competition.A member of the ad-hoc screening committee, Adeleke Olaiya, told The Guardian that they decided to use psychology to ascertain the true agesof the athletes.'I think most of the people complaining are not really helping us at all because they know the guidelines and they don't want to follow it. They know that the NSSF is made up of experienced sports tutors across the country, who cannot bring the federation to disrepute by allowing the use of mercenaries and over age athletes in our competition.'We are the ones kicking against use of overage athletes in our national teams and we cannot allow that to happen when we are organising competitions for students. We want to produce athletes that will grow from being junior champions to senior champions,' he said.Adeleke, who is a former helmsman of the federation, added: 'Apart from the record that the teachers brought to us for screening, we mosttimes used psychology to ascertain the true age of every athlete.'Whenever we ask the athletes about their age, we found out that the age they most times give does not tally with their date of birth. Also we assess their physic to really know whether they are students.'It has helped us to curb cheating in the last two editions. So any athlete that will emerge from our competition will surely be monitored to ensure that such athlete would be the right one for the national team.'Meanwhile, due to their absence from Calabar 2011, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and states like Osun, Plateau, Delta, Imo, Borno, and Abia may be sanctioned by the NSSF.The Guardian leant that the federation was poised to impose fines on states that don't give their students the opportunity to showcase their talents.'I think it is in our regulations that any state that fails to be part of the major event organized by NSSF will be punished and this will come in form of fines and sanction,' an NSSF official, who pleaded anonymity, said.
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