Olalekan Soetan, the Statistician, Athletics Coaches Association of Nigeria, has identified dearth of facilities as one of the major factors that has hindered Ondo State producing highly rated sprinters in recent times.

Soetan, who is also the Chairman, South-West Athletics Conference (SWAC), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Sunday.

NAN reports that SWAC is the body responsible for hosting athletics competition in the South-West region.

He decried the absence of Ondo State at the last two editions of the competition organised by the conference in the region.

Soetan said that though it was the turn of Ondo state to host the competition, but the lack of adequate facilities in the state had compelled it to move it to Ekiti.

NAN reports that Ondo State Sports Complex had been under renovation since July 2024.

He said that Ondo State had produced fast runners – the likes of Seun Ogunkoya, Lawrence Adegbehingbe, Taiwo Ajibade and Yemi Ajibade – in the past and has the highest number of Olympians in Nigeria.

“It is, however, surprising that in the whole state, there is no tartan track for athletes to train and budding ones to be nurtured to stardom,” the Public Relations Officer of ACAN said.

Soetan said it was a pity that an Oil producing state that had an envious record of producing fast runners in the past and with the highest number of olympians did not have any standard facility for sports development.

He appealed to governors in all the South-West states to wake up and emulate Ogun State which has four standard stadia.

According to him, the governors of the South West states should see sports as an avenue to also create employment for their citizens.

He revealed that most Ondo State athletes were now representing other states due to lack of facilities to train in the state.

Soetan said that the only place available in the state, which is the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), field, was not suitable again due to much pressure on it.

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“When you can’t train athletes where you reside, they go out.

“When they go out, they mistreat them, but if you train them in your state and you fund them adequately, they will thrive well.

“Who is Delta to Ondo State? The same aggression Delta people have, they have it in Ondo.

“Because there is not tartan track, Ondo State cannot produce fast runners like in the past again,” the coach said.

Soetan expressed the the belief that the states and the region in general has what it takes to produce abundant talents

He advised governments in the South West States and Lagos to invest more in development of sports facilities to nurture talents.