ASIDE the glamour that will characterize the 18th National Sports Festival - Eko 2012 ' the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, says the tournament will help revive sports in the country.Fashola, who is worried at the dwindling fortunes of sports, said it was high time the trend was nipped in the bud. The governor, who spoke during the unveiling of the icons for the sports fiesta, said: 'For us, it would be nice to win.'But it would be perhaps much more successful for us if we could find the Chioma Ajunwas, Mary Onyalis, Innocent Egbunikes, Jay Jay Okochas, Henry Amikes and Patrick Ekejis, who would bear our torch again and take us back to our pride as a nation globally in the arena of sports. That would be the biggest success for hosting this tournament.'We have watched our athletes grow old while their replacements are not forthcoming and this is not good enough for us as a sporting nation. Let me ask the various states that would participate in Eko 2012 to exploit the Olympics year that we are in to ensure that they make the festival a hunting ground for our collective future excellence.'I can only believe that those who conceived the festival saw it as a harvest ground for talents and this should have led to the African Championships and to the Commonwealth Games. Then we would have found our athletes in theOlympics. I hope, one day, we would find our way back to synchronise the festival for the purpose it was meant.'According to him, 'this is a time to rebuild and plan. A nation of over 150 million (people) is a big human resource reservoir of athletes, who would outrun, outplay and out-dunk any other athlete in the world.'If we plan and do not deceive our leaders that we could win laurels without preparations, I think we can regain our glory. Sports is dear to my heart because I know the spirit it has to galvanize peace and happiness.'He charged the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the states to re-align the sports calendar in such a manner that would help to identify talents for major sports events. He spoke further: 'The festival should be aimed at ultimately producing athletes for the Olympic Games.'There could have been a natural flow from festivals to discover athletes to represent the country at the Africa Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and to the Olympics rather than the current situation that the festival is held after major games.''The governor, who featured at the 1979 edition of the championship in Ibadan, tasked sports administrators to ensure that athletes were well prepared for major sporting championships.'We should depart from the path we have walked for too long. The path of unpreparedness and reliance on prayers,' he said. 'God is a just God who rewards a prepared and hard working nation. We can climb back to our place of prominence and I hope that through the 18th edition, which is the maturity age to vote, we should vote for a renaissance in our sports with Eko 2012.
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