The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has said that the ministry will adopt more scientific and digital means of identifying age cheats at the National Youth Games in future and mete out appropriate stiff penalties to the offending athletes and states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister said this on Tuesday, in Ilorin, while declaring close the 6th National Youth Games (NYG).
“We will consider the NIMC registration as a requirement going forward. There will be a need for all athletes to have NIMC registration before they can participate henceforth.
“As this database will now require one to input their national identity number before the athlete can be registered successfully.
“This measure is needed to avoid losing out on a possible potential medalist being screened out as over aged while they are not”, the minister said.
Dare said this approach will in turn prevent the over aged athletes to be easily identified and screened out in order not to deny qualified athletes a future in their chosen sports.
He described the games as an awesome time of competition, bonding, making friends, building intimacy and developing healthy rivalries, Nigeria’s best young talents were brought together under a platform to do what they love the most.
Dare explained that medals may have been won and lost but the reality is that every young talent represented here was a winner, whether they had a medal around their necks or not.
“This edition of the National Youth Games has been an eye opener to all, as we saw the abundance of talents and potentials in our beloved country.
“Let me highlight the youngest athletes at these games, 9-year-old Gift Torhile from the FCT and 10-year old Wilson Bright from Delta.
“Some of the outstanding gymnasts like Obiefuna Munachi, the 13-year old from FCT and Mustapha Oriyomi, another 13-year old from Delta.
“Then the amazing talents in weightlifting, like Florence Olarinoye from Lagos, Victory Okundia from Edo and Marvelous Chidirim from FCT “, Dare said.
The Minister said he wont fail to recognise Akinwowon Oladeji from Lagos, a deaf boy who won the 100m, 200m and 400m, describing him as a special lad.
The stated that the talents and many more were yet to be identified will be properly groomed and prepared for the African Youth Games in Ethiopia in 2022, as well as the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.
“As a Ministry, what we have seen here in the last few days has reinforced our belief that every effort put into grassroots sports development is a worthy investment and not a waste.
“Since its first edition held in 2013, the National Youth Games has grown in leaps and bounds. This year 35 States participated in 34 sports.
“This is a crucial step in the initiatives adopted by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, to identify these talents early, give them the technical and financial support, provide them guidance and see them become world beaters in the not too distant future” the minister said.
NAN recalled that age cheats were prevalent in the 6th edition of the games.
Also speaking at the closing ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Age Abdulkareem represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Mikhail Buhari, thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity to host the rest of Nigeria.
He said the institution was willing to continue hosting the Games as it had helped in improving the sporting facilities in the school.
Abdulkareem, however, appealed to the sports minister to fulfil his promise of building an Olympic sized swimming pool in the institution, among other facilities, saying that the institution had become the home of sports among its peers.
– NAN
