The much talked about Nigeria Diaspora Talents Trials ended in London on Friday with officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC) saying that it is to repair the nation’s sports.

The Nigeria Diaspora Talents Development Committee NDTC, a multi-sports event, was attended by top Nigerian athletes, including Olympian Chioma Ajunwa, former hurdler Moses Orode Oyiki, former Table Tennis star, Funke Oshonaike and five times African Basketball champion, Dr. Sarah Ogoke.

Speaking with The Guardian at the end of the event, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko said: “It is amazing seeing these Nigerian talents. The Commission will do everything possible to sustain this initiative. You can see the excitement on faces of the athletes and their parents. We will take this initiative to other countries, including USA and Canada, and we will keep the board together to be able to run the NDTC.”

On his part, Director General on the NSC, Bukola Olopade said the time Nigerian talents were lost to other countries is over.

“I am so excited with the turnout of our athletes in the diaspora for this event. From today, the NSC won’t allow our athletes to compete for other countries. We have to find a way to bring them into our sports system. A majority of these athletes have been looking for a way to compete for Nigeria but they have not found the perfect avenue to come in. We have opened the door for them and they are glad,” Olopade stated.

In one of the exhibition matches played on Friday, Nigeria Netball team, Junior Hawks, defeated their counterparts from Pakistan 33-13

Chairman of NDTDC, Tunde Adelakun thanked the athletes for turning up in large number for the event.

Former captain of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team D’Tigresses, now a surgeon, Dr Sarah Ogoke, who led the basketball event thanked the NSC for the initiative, just as she urged the athletes to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Ogoke retired earlier this year after a meritorious international career that saw her become the only woman in history to win five consecutive Afrobasket titles.

She said the NDTDC is in the process of building a Team Diaspora for all major sports.

The Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amin Dalhatu, also attended the event on Friday.

The presence of Ajunwa, Oshonaike,  Oyiki  and Ogoke added so much value and helped in the actualisation of the mandate handed to the Committee by the National Sports Commission. It featured exhibitions in basketball, football, athletics, taekwondo, netball, table tennis and golf.