The Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku has disclosed that the Lagos will host the South-West Zonal elimination competition ahead of the 20th National Sports Festival holding in Benin, Edo State in March.
Aiyepeku said the two-day event will have participants drawn from the six states that make up the zones battling for slots in Team events such as Football, Basketball, Cricket, Handball, Hockey, Volleyball and Rugby, stressing that representatives of the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports were in Lagos on Friday to inspect facilities and hostel accommodation for the competition scheduled to begin next week.
He revealed that the Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Olufemi Ajao and the Lagos Liason Officer, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Bode Durotoye and staff of the Lagos State Sports Commission inspected the accommodation for Athletes and Officials of the participating teams.
While confirming that facilities are already in place for the competition, Aiyepeku said arrangements have been completed for hostel accommodation, just as the participants are expected to start arriving on Tuesday ahead of the commencement of rivalry at different venues across the State.
According to him “The Venues for the events are Agege Stadium for Football; Teslim Balogun Stadium will play host to Basketball and Volleyball; the Cricket Oval, Tafawa Balewa Square for Cricket; Handball and Abula will hold at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba; Beach Volleyball and Rugby will take place at the Ram Field and Main Bowl, National Stadium, respectively; while Hockey will take place at the Elegbata Mini Stadium”.
Expressing the State’s readiness to stage a befitting competition, Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku was optimistic that the Lagos Athletes are well motivated to do well at the qualifying tournaments.
