The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) has held a strategic meeting with Boards of all 44 Sports Associations in the State to review the performance of athletes at the last Sports Festival and evolve strategies for general sports development in Lagos.

Speaking at the meeting held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the Executive Chairman of LSSC, Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, stated that the meeting was organised to allow the various associations submit their strategic plans and programmes of events for the year to actualise the vision of the Lagos State Sports Commission.

He said the meeting, which will now be held at least twice a year, will help to bridge the gap between the Lagos State Sports Commission and Sports Associations, adding it would also enhance the proactiveness of the Boards of the various Associations.

In his words: “We need to form circuits of events for the athletes to create strong competitions for them every time, instead of waiting for the National Sports Festival. We want to correct the issue of dearth of competitions for Lagos Athletes, as the case was in the past”.

Aiyepeku emphasised that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu wants the Boards of the Sports Associations to be autonomous, as such, he urged them to seek sponsorships from corporate bodies and other organisations in the country.

“The focus of Sports Associations in Lagos State needs to shift to the State, where more competitions and events will be organised for athletes. We have to increase the number of events that we organise in Lagos. I implore you to be creative and set Lagos agog with various sports competitions”, he said.

While noting that the Commission will soon release the unified Lagos State Sports Calendar to the Public, the Executive Chairman thanked the Boards of all the Sports Associations that participated at the last National Sports Festival held in Edo.

On his part, the Director-General, Lagos State Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafaar, advised the Sports Associations to always submit their proposals and plans for events and competitions at least six weeks before the dates of the actual events.

Chairmen of all the Boards of Sports Associations promised to take Sports to the next level in Lagos State and thanked the Lagos State Sports Commission for giving them the opportunity to serve.

They also promised to work very hard to discover new talents and replace the ageing Athletes in the State.