Sport

As Oyo State looks ahead to the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Enugu later this year, I believe it is important that we begin having this conversation now, not when the athletes are already on their way to Enugu. Success at the National Sports Festival does not begin at the festival. It begins months before the opening ceremony. For Oyo State, there is enough evidence from our recent performances to show that we have the talent and competitive capacity to be among Nigeria’s leading sporting states. What we need now is to translate that potential into a deliberate, sustained and well-coordinated preparation strategy. A COMPETITIVE TEAM, BUT THERE IS MORE TO ACHIEVE Team Oyo has remained consistently competitive at the National Sports Festival over the last three editions. At Edo 2020, Oyo finished 6th nationally, winning 103 medals—31 gold, 30 silver and 42 bronze. At Delta 2022, the state moved up to an impressive 4th position, recording 43 gold medals after the post-event review of the results. Then came the 2025 Gateway Games in Ogun State, where Team Oyo again finished 6th, but with an impressive 126 medals—38 gold, 38 silver and 50 bronze. There is an important lesson in these figures. The 2025 result should not simply be interpreted as a decline because Oyo finished 6th. In fact, the state recorded its highest overall medal haul of the three editions, increasing from 103 medals in Edo to 126 in Ogun. However, we must also acknowledge that Oyo slipped from the historic 4th-place finish achieved in Asaba. That should not discourage us. It should challenge us. The objective in Enugu should be more than simply matching the 126-medal performance. We should be looking to increase our gold-medal haul, improve our overall position and return Oyo State to the top four, and ultimately challenge for an even higher position on the national table. That will not happen by chance. THE HOCKEY STORY: WHAT DELIBERATE ATTENTION CAN PRODUCE One of the clearest examples of what is possible when attention, advocacy and encouragement meet talent is the story of the Oyo State Hockey Team. In April 2024, I came across conversations about the lack of adequate attention being given to hockey in Oyo State despite the impressive performances of some of our athletes at national and international competitions. My interest in this issue was also personal. As a young boy at Ibadan City Academy, I was exposed to different sporting disciplines through the school’s sporting equipment. It was there that I first encountered hockey sticks, discus, javelin, shot put and other equipment that introduced me to a world of sports beyond football. That early exposure shaped my belief that sports development must never be reduced to football alone. So when I saw the concerns around hockey, I decided not just to comment from afar but to engage. I visited the team during training to understand their reality firsthand. I saw young boys and girls preparing with determination despite the limitations around them, including the absence of a standard hockey pitch. I subsequently used my platforms to amplify their story, draw attention to their achievements and advocate for greater support. When the National Sports Festival in Ogun came around, I took that support a step further. I remember missing one of my final MSc presentations just to be with the lads in Ijebu-Ode during their semifinal campaign. Having previously won bronze and silver, my message to them was simple: “We’ve won bronze, we’ve won silver, and this time, we’re going for gold.” And they delivered. The Oluyole Bombers became champions, winning gold at the National Sports Festival, an important breakthrough and their first gold at the festival in recent years. For me, that gold medal represented much more than a sporting achievement. It was proof of what can happen when athletes are encouraged, supported, promoted and made to believe that their efforts matter. It also reinforced my conviction that sports development is beyond football. LET THE HOCKEY GOLD BE A TEMPLATE The success of the Oyo hockey team should not be treated as an isolated achievement. It should become a template. If a team that had struggled for adequate facilities and visibility could progress from competing for bronze and silver to becoming National Sports Festival champions, then there is an opportunity to replicate that progression across other sporting disciplines. We have athletes in athletics, boxing, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cycling, kickboxing, table tennis and several other sports who deserve similar attention. Some of our athletes are already competing at national and international levels. Indeed, about six members of the Oyo hockey team have been part of the national hockey setup and are regarded among the best on the continent. These are not ordinary talents. They are assets to Oyo State. Our responsibility is to create the conditions that allow them to thrive. THE RACE TO ENUGU MUST BEGIN NOW As stakeholders prepare for Enugu, we must avoid the familiar culture of waiting until a few weeks to the festival before putting the necessary structures in place. We need to begin with early identification and preparation of medal prospects. There is a growing need for structured training programes for participating teams. Adequate provisions for sporting equipment and kits. Proper nutrition and welfare packages for athletes should be made top priority. We need timely incentives for athletes and coaches. We need quality technical and medical support. We need early camping where necessary. And we need transparent coordination between the government, sports administrators, coaches, athletes, private-sector partners and other stakeholders. Our athletes should arrive in Enugu focused entirely on competition—not worrying about accommodation, feeding, equipment, transportation, allowances or other basic welfare concerns that should have been addressed long before the festival. SPORTS MEDIA ALSO HAS A ROLE There is another area where we can do better: visibility. Despite being a state-owned team, many of our athletes and sporting teams remain largely invisible outside their immediate circles. This is where sports media, content creators and supporters can contribute.