Hon. Omonlei Imadu, Vice President of African Boxing (AfB), has raised alarm over the fall of grassroots development of Nigeria’s National Sports Festival (NSF). Imadu warned that athlete poaching, age fraud and the pressure to win medals are undermining its original objectives. Established in 1973 under General Yakubu Gowon to promote national unity and discover talents through schools and local government areas, the festival has, according to Imadu, increasingly become a competition where states recruit already-developed athletes instead of investing in home-grown talents. He also criticised the lack of scholarships, training opportunities and structured career pathways for medal-winning athletes.
Imadu further disclosed approach to manage these challenges. He proposed stricter athlete eligibility requirements, including state-of-origin verification, two-year residency and school documentation; separate grassroots and elite competitions; automatic integration of festival medal achievements into national sports federation rankings; and awards for states that develop their own athletes. He recommended an under-18, school-based grassroots festival alongside an elite competition, arguing that the reforms would promote fairness, strengthen talent development and ensure that the NSF serves as a pipeline for national sports federations. He warned that without urgent changes, Nigeria risks celebrating festival champions while continuing to struggle to develop home-grown talents in boxing, wrestling, swimming and other sports.
Credit: Throwback Times Nigeria
