Ondo SWAN Calls For State Of Emergency In Sports, Bemoan State Of Facilities

By Ayodele Oni

The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ondo Chapter, has bemoaned the state of unpreparedness of the Government towards the national sports festival scheduled for early next year.

The Association, which called the State Government’s attention to dilapidated sporting facilities and the sports complex in Akure, pleaded for urgent intervention to save the dwindling fortunes of sport in the State.

This is coming after several stakeholders had urged the state government to, as a matter of urgency, attend to issues causing continuous delay in the upgrading of Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure.

There have been recent complaints of lack of funds and attention for other sports like basketball, volleyball, hockey and handball, among others.

This was contained in a statement on Monday signed by the chairman of SWAN in the state, Segun Giwa and secretary, Joseph Adesuyan.

According to the statement, the state owned football team Sunshine Stars now play all their  matches in the Nigeria Premier Football League, away from their original home ground in Akure Stadium thus plunging the club into relegation scares.

“Sunshine Stars’ journey within the second week of December had been very rough, travelling around the country in a spate of seven days with a rickety bus.

“They played in Ikenne, Ogun State, penultimate Saturday, back to Akure on Sunday and hit the road again on  Monday to honour their rescheduled match day 13 against Enyimba International in Aba.

“They journeyed back to Akure on Thursday and arrived in Minna on Saturday afternoon to face a much improved Niger Tornadoes, the following day.

“In the same vein, the National Sports Festival beckons yet there is no artificial track, good indoor sports hall or healthy swimming pool to train athletes from the State.

“As a critical sports stakeholder in Ondo State, we passionately appeal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as a matter of urgency, to declare a state of emergency on government sporting facility in the state for a quick turnaround of results.”