DAWN Games kicks off in Lagos

The maiden edition of South-West Secondary Schools Games tagged DAWN Games begins on Friday May 16 in Lagos with over 2,000 athletes and officials in attendance.

The DAWN Games, which will be competed by athletes from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State, is a 12 sports tournament of Nigeria School Sports Federation, NSSF. The sports are Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Football, Gymnastics, Scrabble, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Taekwondo and Volleyball. It will be staged in three centres across Lagos: Agege Stadium, Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba and the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, while the NYSC Camp at Iyana Ipaja in Lagos.

According to the schedule of event released to the media by the Technical Sub-Committee of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), athletes and officials are expected to check in to the Games Village on Friday with accreditations taking off in full swing, while events will begin on Sunday May 18 with Football and Gymnastics taking the centre stage at the Agege Stadium and Rowe Park Sports Centre respectively.

According to the schedules, Rowe Park will also play host to Badminton, Basketball and Tennis. At Teslim Balogun Stadium, sports such as Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Swimming, Scrabble and Athletics will be on stage, while Agege Stadium will also host Chess.

It was gathered that Team Ogun, would present 186 athletes, while no fewer than 163 athletes will represent Team Lagos.

Meanwhile, a member of basketball team for Lagos, Ololade Azeez has expressed confidence that Lagos will win gold medal in both male and female basketball event of the competition.

“I am happy to be among the players that will represent Lagos at DAWN Games. Our training so far is superb and very impressive. We are in good form now and ready to win gold medals for team Lagos in Basketball both male and female category,” he said.

Head Coach of Badminton of Team Lagos, Kayode Olatunji said there is high spirit in camp as the players are looking forward to participating at the DAWN Games, adding that the supports the players and officials received from the state government will boost their morale to excel at the Games, which will end on 24 May.

More schools, local councils register for 2014 Ibile Games in Lagos

The number of schools and local councils as well as Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) willing to be part of the 2014 Lagos State Sports Festival tagged Ibile Games continued to swell following the number of entries received so far by the organisers.

At the weekend, the organisers received huge turnout with schools and councils hoping to beat the deadline for registration. The games holds from April 30 to May 10 this year.

The premises of the Lagos State Sports Council (LSSC) at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba, has been a beehive of activities with the officers from the schools and the local councils rushing to submit their registration forms in order to beat the deadline.

Director of Sports, LSSC, Dr. Kweku Tandoh said that the IBILE Games would be keenly contested this year in view of the large number of secondary schools and LGs/LCDAs presenting athletes for the Games.

He added that the LOC and the subcommittees have intensified efforts to ensure a very successful sports fiesta.