The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has advocated the need to increase funding for sport at all levels of governance, saying that remains the impetus for good performances of Nigerian athletes in global sporting competitions.
Governor Ambode said this at an interview with journalists at the completion of the Seamaster ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open held at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.
Ambode noted that it has become imperative for all stakeholders to now invest more in sports so as to take the country to its rightful place in global competition.
He expressed excitement at the successful hosting of the tournament tagged: Lagos 2017, which attracted Table Tennis stars from 22 countries, saying that the development was gratifying and in line with his vision to use sports as a catalyst for growth and development of the economy.
When asked whether he was disappointed that no Nigerian qualified for the finals of the competition, Governor Ambode said on the contrary, he was not disappointed but that the development called for greater investment in sports in the country.
“I am not disappointed at all about that. It’s called Nigerian open and so it’s open to everybody and again we had Nigerians in the semifinal. So, we need to do more work and then more coaching and also develop sports. Government has to support sports thoroughly, if you want to see Nigerians in the finals.
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