The long neglected schools sports, which had served as springboard for legendary athletes from Kwara is now set to start again, with this year’s edition scheduled to begin in November 10th, 2023, according to Kwara State Sports Commission.
The Commission today, Thursday October 26th, 2023 sets the ball rolling with the inauguration of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for staging the event.
Tagged “School Sports 2023” under Organising body, School Sports Athletics Championship, the event will feature only track and fields events.
According to the Commission, the move is to further consolidate on the gains of the impressive outing of Kwara athletes at the the just concluded National Youth Games (NYG) in Asaba, Delta State.
Inaugurating the Committees today, the Executive Chairman of the Sports Commission, Mallam Bola Magaji, revealed that the state government, under Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is committed to re-awaken sports from the grassroots, stating that the school sports talent hunt competition is designed to revive sports as part of the curricula of all schools which will culminate in Zonal and State Sports sports Festivals.
He charged the MOC and LOC to demonstrate and display high sense of responsibility by staging a hitch-free championship.
According to him, “the program is the present administration’s modest way of telling youth that government recognizes them as partners in progress and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq cares for their interest”
In his good will message, an Olympian, Hameed Adio commended the Sports Commission for the laudable initiatives at reviving school sports, adding that the idea of combining sports and education through reactivation of school sports by Bola Magaji led Commission is unprecedented.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the poor way of organizing Inter-house sports by some schools in the state, describing it as a mere jamboree and glorified fashion parade.
Also speaking, the representatives of SUBEB and TESCOM said that they will give support to the program and synergize with school authorities to ease the processes.
The members of the Committees are Mallam Ibrahim Bako as Chairman, Hamidu Olowo, Adesoye A. T, Patience Lawal, representative of ASSPO, representative of Kwara SWAN, representative of Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development and representative of the Police.
Others are the representative of SUBEB, representative of ANCOPSS, representative of Local Government Sports Coordinators, representative of NSCDC, State Athletics Coach and Kuburat Zubair, while Ahmed Adebayo will serve as the Secretary.
