The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for transformative grassroots sports development is already yielding tangible results, citing the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) at the National Sports Festival as a prime example.

Hon. Olopade stated that grassroots sports development is a cornerstone of the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE), with the President giving full backing to the Commission’s efforts.

“We understand that the foundation of our sports renaissance is an intentional priority to the grassroots cadre of our sports pyramid, and this is why the IJA project is very dear to the Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and myself,” he said.

He noted that the inclusion of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) as the “38th state” at the National Sports Festival in Ogun State is set to be a game changer, aimed at building a steady pipeline of top talent for major international competitions.

“The Commission has also been able to send about 19 different national teams out for various international competitions thanks to the kind of financial backing and support we are getting from Mr President,” he added.

“Fortunately, many of these teams have returned to the country excelling—boosting the image and bragging rights of our country on the international stage.”

The Director General highlighted impressive breakthroughs in sports where Nigeria previously had little visibility.

“We are now also beginning to excel in sports that Nigeria was never known for before, like the performance of the Nigeria U19 Cricket team at the World Cup in Malaysia where Nigeria finished 5th in the world.”

“And just recently, Nigeria’s young swimmer Abdul Tabur Adama shone at the Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Egypt where he won gold and set two new records in the 50 meters. We also had successes in sports like badminton with Eniola Bolaji at the World Para-Tournament in Spain, wrestling in Morocco, weightlifting in Mauritius, just to mention but a few.”

The two time Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development concluded by reaffirming that these achievements are only possible due to the humongous support from His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who remains deliberate about the vital role sports plays in delivering the broader Renewed Hope Mandate for the country.

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