NO ROOM FOR AGE CHEATS, SAYS NJOKU

By Jude Agbeyeke

States planning to field over-aged athletes at the maiden edition of the National Intermediate Games scheduled to hold early next year in Lagos State have been warned to jettison such plans, as the National Sports Commission (NSC) will come down hard on any state found engaging in age cheating.

The Zonal Coordinator of the National Sports Commission, South-South Zone, Mr Peter Njoku, gave the warning at the just-concluded zonal eliminations for the Nigeria Intermediate Games and the National Sports Festival held in Calabar, Cross River State.

Njoku said the NSC, under the leadership of Mallam Shehu Dikko and Hon. Bukola Olopade, would not condone age cheating, stressing that the commission was committed to developing sports from the grassroots and creating platforms for budding talents across the country to showcase their abilities.

The South-South Zonal Coordinator, who disclosed that some athletes suspected of age cheating were identified after presenting fake National Identification Numbers (NINs) during the screening exercise for the South-South zonal elimination of the Nigeria Intermediate Games in Calabar, said the NSC would not allow individuals to undermine its efforts to recalibrate the sports sector.

According to him, the Intermediate Games project was designed to create sustainable pathways for young athletes to develop their talents and eventually excel in their chosen sporting professions.

He commended the leadership of the NSC for introducing several innovations aimed at ensuring a steady pipeline of young athletes who would eventually replace ageing athletes in the national teams.

Njoku described the Nigeria Intermediate Games as a welcome development, saying the competition would provide young athletes with the opportunity to sustain the tempo of sporting excellence while developing into international stars at an early age.

While commending the Cross River State Government for successfully hosting the zonal qualifiers, Njoku also praised states that fielded athletes who met the under-19 age requirement for the eliminations.

He said their compliance demonstrated their commitment to the development of sports in Nigeria and the discovery of genuine young talents.