The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Lekan Fatodu has emphasised that school sports is the bedrock of sports development as it serves as a platform that birth future stars and contributes positively to the overall development of student-athletes.
Fatodu, who stated this at the 17th Inter-House Sports Competition of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls held at the University of Lagos Sports Complex, Akoka, Yaba, added that School Sports also serve as a great platform to teach young students important life skills such as responsibility, discipline, hard work, commitment and teamwork that can positively aid their development.
He averred that success with school sports will also yield immediate social benefits such as providing youths with enough focus to enable them to contribute positively to society, adding that it will ultimately reduce all forms of juvenile delinquency, truancy, societal menace, negative peer pressure and others.
“School Sports is the bedrock of sustainable sports development geared towards using sports as a tool for discovering early stage development of talented athletes and the critical first step in preparing student-athletes for a positive career in sports”, he noted.
The Director-General further disclosed that the initiative is in tandem with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s youth empowerment and engagement drive for #Lagos Rising through the THEMES Plus agenda for education and sports.
While declaring his support for grassroots sports, Fatodu posited that top talents discovered through school sports will eventually become representatives of the state at national events, stressing that they can ultimately represent the country at international tournaments as well.
