The Chairman, Imo State Sports Commission, Prince Eleazar Ogbonna has revealed that the commission in collaboration with the Commissioner of Sports are putting in efforts to revive sports in the State, Silvernews.com.ng reports.
Speaking at the scouting programme to harness football talents for sojourn in Europe, Ogbonna noted that they are going back to the grassroots to discover talents that will make the state proud.
He noted that the collaboration with the Sports Ministry and Youth Development Commission is geared towards returning sports back to the people by harnessing talents at the grassroots level.
“We are here in the stadium to make sure that the players we are picking all over the 27 LGAs, I and the Commissioner we have been working very hard to see how we will touch every local government by getting the best out of the best.
“We are trying to see how we can package our youths so that they will never be defeated and the Commissioner is also working very hard so that we will make the state proud.
“The Youth Development Commission came to my office and we talked about this again on how to get the best out of the best and that is what we are doing here. Three of us are working together to see how we can make the state proud and return the sports back to the people. The glory must come back to Imo State again.
“I started from U-13. I captained Imo State at U-13. During our own days, we did wonderfully good. All the basketball, volleyball, handball, table tennis not only football – we need to touch all these areas. Imo State is known for volleyball and handball. We need to bring that glory back to Imo State.
“All the athletes you are seeing today in Nigeria are mostly from Imo State and most of them have left. I have worried with that. I have started writing to them and talking to them. All of us are putting heads to see how we can move forward.
“We have met all the veteran sports to talk with them to see how we can move sports forward. The expertise came to me to see how we can invite others to see where we can get it right. We are preparing the players for the trip to Europe.”
