Aiyepeku Condemns Win-at-All-Costs Syndrome at Youth Games

Executive Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, has described the attitude of winning at all costs by some states in the ongoing 6th National Youth Games as a dangerous trend that won’t serve the Nigerian sports well in the long run.

According to Aiyepeku, while the National Youth Games serves as a competitive platform for the nation to discover young athletes that would serve as a talent pool to replace ageing athletes, who are fading away from Nigeria’s sporting arena, the objective has been rubbished by some ‘unrepentant’ states which are hell-bent in fielding overaged athletes in the tournament.

“How can we explain a situation when athletes of 10-11 years old competing with their seniors in a youth games? It is a sad scenario. If we continue like this, as a nation, it will not end well. In those days, Nigeria was a leading force in Africa sprint, but today, other countries have taken over from us. This is because we don’t have the pool of athletes from the domestic front who will take over from the ageing ones.

“What is happening in Ilorin is begging for a national question that: “Are we truly for development of our sports and athletes, or we are just here for the win at all costs?” This makes us very sad as a state in Lagos.

“When we are talking about the greater Lagos, we must also be focusing our life on a greater nation. We can’t be talking about the greater nation in the midst of all these incidents happening in Ilorin.

“The National Youth Games is supposed to be a platform to discover young athletes, but we are messing it up now. It is quite discouraging,” Aiyepeku noted.

The Chairman was full of commendation to Team Lagos for putting up good fights in their respective sports despite the unfavourable environment they are competing in Ilorin.”