Nigeria must employ different psychological interventions to ensure podium success and sustainable sports development, Director, Department of Coaching and Training, National Institute for Sports (NIS), Dr. Adeniyi Jimmy, has said.

Speaking at the institute’s first inaugural lecture at National Stadium, Lagos, Jimmy picked sports psychology as the panacea to athletes’ optimal performance that would lead to national development.

He added that Nigeria’s sports suffer from many inadequacies that hinder podium levels at competitions, adding that the solution lies on urgent psychological interventions.

He also advised that sports psychologists should be part of athletes’ preparations, lamenting that this angle is yet to be fully harnessed in the country’s sports.

Jimmy, who said the current NIS leadership aims at showcasing and repositioning the institute as a citadel of learning, a training and research centre, as well as to key into the university and polytechnic systems.

In his lecture, entitled, “Podium Success and Sustainable Sports Development in Nigeria: A Tripod of Psychological Interventions”, Jimmy said sports have gone beyond recreational and entertainment levels, adding that sports psychology must be included in team building, preparation before, during and after competition as its importance is many and varied.

Lamenting the country’s poor sports development efforts, he regretted that it has been left almost completely in the hands of government with minimal private sector participation, saying that the NIS is just one of such efforts labouring to make a difference.

The director noted that a sport is struggling with a myriad of problems, including poor funding, funds mismanagement and embezzlement, inadequate personnel and dwindling infrastructure. He said the country has the potential to raise better performers and world-class athletes if it embraced Talent Identification and Development (TID).

He listed good understanding of sports, eagerness to learn, ability to share knowledge, motivational skills, communication, good listening skills, discipline, commitment and passion and leading by example as factors that characterise great coaches, who produce podium athletes.