LAGOS – The Chief Coach, Lagos State Badminton Association, Ben Orakpo, has promised the body’s readiness to come up with the final list of best athletes for the forthcoming DAWN Games holding this month.
The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Games is a competition for secondary schools in the South-West zone of the country aimed at discovering and nurturing talents.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that the association would ensure a careful selection process for the best talents to represent the state.
He said that the association took the advantage of the ongoing “Ibile Games to discover some exceptional talents at the badminton event.
Orakpo told NAN that the association had to use more forceful training programmes to make up for the lack of competition it had suffered in recent times.
“Lack of competitions and sponsorships have been a setback to the association’s programmes but we discovered some good athletes during the inter-club championships at the Ibile Games.
“ I can tell you categorically that at the DAWN Games we will excel because we are ready,” he said.
Orakpo told NAN that the association intended to create a new record at the DAWN Games.
He also commended the state government for paying training grants to athletes, adding that such a gesture would stem the poaching by other states.
The association won a bronze medal at 18th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt and blamed its poor record on poaching of its top notch players.
The maiden DAWN Games, a competition among secondary schools in Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States will hold in Lagos from May 16 to May 24. (NAN)
