Secretary General of Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria (TSFN), Mrs Evelyn Fabunmi has expressed satisfaction at the approval of traditional sports as part of the sporting events that will be showcased at next year’s National Sports Festival slated for Benin, Edo State and called on government, stakeholders and sponsors to identify with the federation’s activities.
Speaking to sports journalists from her base in Abuja the TSFN Secretary, said that she is grateful to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development; the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development and the government and good people of Edo State for seeing to the approval of Nigeria’s indigenous sports at the forthcoming festival.
“The approval simply shows that stakeholders of traditional sports are alive and willingly to popularize those sports we can call ours.
“I want to give kudos to our Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare; the immediate past Permanent Secretary , Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, H.E. Olusade Adesola and the government and good people of Edo State for seeing to the approval of our indigenous sports for Edo 2020.
“The remaining job is now left for the Main Organising Committee to decide on the venue for the remaining trado-sports events, that is Kokawa, Dambe, Abula and Langa.
“Currently we have five indigenous sports being supervised under TSFN which are: Langa, Kokawa, Ayo, Abula and Dambe and they are all scoring events.
“All our trado-sports are ‘crowd-pullers’ and much of that will be seen at the National Sports Festival in Edo,” she assured.
Fabunmi then appealed to all states to prepare very well for the various trado-sports events they will be featuring in because the competition will be keenly contested.
“With the approval of trado-sports in Edo, many states will be encouraged to feature in our events thereby keeping our practitioners and stakeholders busy during and after the festival.
“By so doing, sponsors will rekindle their interest in sponsoring our indigenous sports,” she said with great optimism,” she added.
On her expectations for trado-sports development in the country, Fabunmi said she foresees a new dawn for the sports.
“Edo 2020 will mark a new dawn for our abandoned trado-sports because it is my strong belief that Nigeria should not remain a dumping ground for foreign sports. We need to popularize our indigenous games beginning from Edo 2020.
