Thumbs up for Lagos 2008 athletes

Niyi Alebiosu, Lagos - 21.03.2008

Veteran athletes and coaches have thumbed up the standard of performance by athletes that participated in the just- concluded National School Sports Festival, tagged Lagos 2008, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the festival on Tuesday, the trio of former African quartermile queen, Chief Falilat Ogunkoya-Omotayo, Henry Amike and Yusuf Ali, athletics event coordinator, believed that the festival had produced talents for the country to make use of in the nearest future.

Ogunkoya-Omotayo expressed happines with the performance of the kids at the games, saying they really showed that the country had abundant talents to pick from and that it was now left for the authorities to capitalise on this and train the kids to stardom.

"It gladdens my mind when I saw these young lads burning the tracks andI foresee a brigther future for athletics in Nigeria, " Ali said.

He, however, warned that despite the fact that the kids were good, they should not be left to be rusty but should be exposed to constant competitions in order to improve their skills, saying that, "it was high time new athletes were given the chance to express themselves from the youth level because they are the bases for solid foundation for athlete."