Benin – Edo State Government on Wednesday said it had revived the Zonal Sports Directorates in a bid to harness raw talents across the three senatorial districts.
Harrison Omagbon, Chairman of the Edo State Sports Council told newsmen in Benin that the directors of sports had been deployed to the three senatorial districts to facilitate the take-off of the directorates.
The chairman added that coaches had also been deployed to the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
“Our aim is to develop sporting activities at the grassroots as well as harness talents that abound at that level.
“After the deployment, we have to send coaches to all the council areas of the state. The directors are to coordinate the activities of these coaches while the council has also put machinery in motion to monitor their activities.
“We are doing this because it is our resolve to improve grassroots sports development, where new talents that will replace the aging ones will be discovered,’’ he said.
Omagbon said that the state was determined to continue its dominance in sports in the country.
“In the last African Games in Congo Brazzaville, Edo contributed more than 30 per cent of the athletes and officials that represented the country.
“The only way we will continue to ensure our dominance is to keep discovering and grooming new talents,’’ he stressed.
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Omagbon said the council would ensure that sporting facilities would be provided at the zonal directorates.
“We have always had these facilities and they have always been in use.
“The only challenge we had was that zonal sports directorate was dead in the state, but before now facilities were there and functioning.
“What we have done now is to revive the zonal sports directorates to further improve the state’s fortunes in sports,’’ he said.
Omagbon said that sports council had concluded arrangements to organise the state sports festival ahead of the National Sports Festival scheduled for Calabar. (NAN)