Kaduna 2008:Ogun Athletes in Camp

Over 700 athletes to represent Ogun State in the forth- coming national sports festival in Kaduna at the weekend commenced camping in Ijebu Ode, in preparation for the tournament

The state director of sports, Mr. Tunji Onatolu, made this disclosure yesterday in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abeokuta, revealing that, two additional camps for the athletes are also in the offing in Abeokuta, the state capital.


According to him, efforts are being put in place to ensure that the athletes are fully prepared for the bi-ennial festival holding in Kaduna, just as he added that Governor Gbenga Daniel has directed the sports council to ensure that the state surpasses the feat it achieved in the last edition of the festival, tagged Gateway Games, held in the state capital.

His words: "We have started camping in preparation for the national sports festival as our athletes have moved to Ijebu-Ode over the weekend. About 700 of them are already in camp as part of measures to do well and surpass the record we achieved two years ago."

Onatolu stated that as part of steps to test the level of fitness of the athletes, who will represent the state at the sports festival, have been participating in virtually all the sports meet held in the country in the last seven to eight months.

"Because we are determined to perform better than before, and for us to test the skill of our athletes who will be representing us, we featured in virtually all the national competitions held recently. We participated in about seven to eight sports meet and we are already participating in Kano and Kwara now, Onatolu stated.

He stressed "All these are continuous process and we are doing it because it will give us the opportunity to compete with others and from there measure our level of fitness and preparedness of our athletes for the festival."According to him "With all these, we are looking forward to surpassing the standard that we achieved two years ago during the Gateway Games held in our state here".

He stated that Daniel had directed that all those who won medals in the Gateway Games, and their coaches too, should be employed immediately and should prepare for the festival.

"In line with this directive, we have recruited so many atheletes because our amiable Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel said that we should employ those who won medals at the last festival, about 600 of them. We have recruited them, I mean all those that won medals and we are looking forward to recruiting more, so that we can do better in the Kaduna festival", the director said.