In recognition of their giant strides and contribution to sports development in Nigeria, the Nigerian Sports Award is set to honour three Nigerian sports legends with the life time achievement award at the 2014 edition of the Award scheduled to hold on Thursday 13th of November 2014 at the Muson center Onikan, Lagos.
The three legends to be honored at the Nigerian Sports Award are Pa Karim Ayinla Babalola Olowu fondly called KAB, Dr George Ogan and Dr Awoture Elayae.
KAB Olowu was a member of the first official Nigerian team to participate in the Commonwealth Games, (then called British Empire Games), 1950, Auckland, New Zealand. He featured for Nigeria at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games where he participated in the long jump event and the 4×100 yards relay.
He was also at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Canada where he won two silver medals in long jump and 400 by 110 yards relay to become the first Nigerian athlete to win two medals at the Commonwealth Games.
KAB who was born on June 7, 1924 is Nigeria’s and probably Africa’s oldest Olympian at the age of 90. An Olympian of note was a touch bearer at Barcelona in the 1992 Olympic Games.
Another sports legend that will receive the lifetime achievement award in sports, Dr. George Ogan was born July 20, 1938. He participated in long jump and triple jump at the National level before representing Nigeria at the 1994 Olympic in Tokyo.
At the 1966 Commonwealth Games in in Kingston, Jamaica, Ogan won the silver medal in triple jump event coming behind was a follow Nigerian Sam Igun who set a new game record to win the gold medal.
Dr Awoture Elayae got a place in the life time achievement award for his great love for sports as an athlete, coach, teacher, lecturer and sports administrator. Dr Elayae who hails from Isoko, Delta State was the coach of the Nigerian team to the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Dr Eleyae was appointed Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, Africa’s highest sports authority, from 1992 till 2005. He holds the Nigerian National Award of the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) also the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa Medal of Honour.
Speaking on the Lifetime achievement award, the General Manager, Unmissable Incentive Limited, Mr. Kayode Idowu stated that the recipients of the award deserves the honour bestowed on them by the award panel because they committed their lives to the development and growth of sports in Nigeria.
Idowu added that Nigerians Sports Award will continue to recognize our sports heroes and heroines that have dedicated their lives to sports to sports development and brought honour to the nation.
newfanzone 