The Oyo state athletics team to the National Youth Games holding in Asaba parades arguably the youngest set of the competition.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of Oyo State Athletics Association Dr. Isaac Friday Ogada in a chat with newsman at the weekend.
According to Dr Ogada, many of the athletes representing the state at the National Youth Games in Asaba are new discoveries from the Oyo SWAN/Jerona Under 13 Sports Fiesta held in May 2023 in Ibadan.
The State Athletic Association, while asserting that his squad is guided by the Olympics dictum which emphasizes more on participation than victory, added that the main purpose of coming to Asaba is to expose the budding talents and prepare them for future competitions.
“I can tell you categorically that our contingents comprise mostly junior secondary school kids. We are really not after winning but to prepare for the future and give the kids the needed exposure”, he said.
Dr Ogada however assured sports lovers in Oyo State that Team Oyo won’t be pushovers in Asaba while not ruling out medals in the athletics events.
“When we organized the trials, we discovered and picked talented young boys and girls whose ages range from 11 to 13 from various secondary schools across the state. This is their very first time of going out for a big event but I can assure sports lovers in our state that these athletes will show the stuff they are made of in this tournament and future competitions”, he stated.
Speaking further Oyo State Athletic Association boss, who is also a school proprietor adds: “I have adopted about seven of the athletes from various towns in Shaki/Oke Ogun zone. They were admitted into my school on full scholarships to monitor their progress and also groom them to become future stars”.
“The kiddies are waiting to explode, their talents and zeal to excel are amazing. I know in few years time they will rule the world, all things being equal”, he concluded.
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