Harvest of Talents at 20th NSF Gives Nigeria’s Sports Hope — Are

Ademola Are, a Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development official, says the array of talents at the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) indicates hope for sports in Nigeria.

Are told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Benin that it was promising to see the festival very competitive and the athletes enthusiastic about the games.

“There is hope and a bright future for Nigeria’s sports, especially at the highest level.

“What we have seen is very encouraging. It is very promising looking at the array of talents that we have witnessed in all sports events.

“There’s very high hope for Nigeria’s success in future sports engagements,” the ministry’s Director of Grassroots Sports Development said.

Are applauded hosts Edo for providing world-class facilities for the event, saying the facilities were also another indication for a better tomorrow in Nigeria’s sports.

He, however, urged relevant committees to always secure accommodation for athletes and officials in places close to event centres to avoid the traffic ingestion now in most Nigerian cities.

“Well, in all areas of human endeavour, there is always a room for improvement.

“So, for them sports festival, whichever city or state that is going to host the next one should learn from the challenges or shortcomings we have witnessed and the challenges are also not insurmountable.

“They are challenges we normally face all the time, but we should not be facing them at all.

“We should strive to improve on all these challenges. So, there is nothing spectacular about these challenges,” Are added.

He also advocated a measure to check indiscipline among athletes.