A former 400m African record holder and Olympic medallist, Falilat Ogunkoya-Osheku is canvassing support for student-athletes as she said some university lecturers frustrate the dreams of students who love sports.
The Olympian stated this at the Lagooz School’ 2024 sports festival in Lagos where she called on parents and teachers to support students in balancing sports and academics.
“I want to talk to the parents because sometimes when the young athletes want to do something, parents don’t support them. I want the parents to support their children in whatever they lay their hands on.
“In Nigeria it is hard to balance sports and academics but abroad it is not hard. In Nigeria, there are some professors in the university that don’t like it when you are doing sports. They believe student-athletes are cocky to them but they (students-athletes) love what they do, they should be supported,” she said.
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The school’s proprietor Yomi Otubela stressed that sports is pivotal to the development of not only students’ psychomotor skills but also essential life skills such as discipline, perseverance and leadership.
“I urge all stakeholders to recognise the broader significance of sports in education. Sports transcends the boundaries of the classroom, providing students with opportunities for personal growth and holistic development,” he said.
The father of the day, Barrister Umolu Joseph added that sports helps to develop the child mentally and physically, urging parents to allow their children to participate in sporting activities.
Onyx house emerged overall winner of the school’s sports festival.
