Water sports can lift Team Nigeria at Rio 2016, says Giwa Daramola

COMMODORE of Navy Sailing Club, the first indigenous sailing and boat club in Nigeria, Tunde Giwa Daramola, has advised President elect, Mohammed Buhari, to take sports, especially water sports, seriously, saying it is an avenue to keep the restive youths busy, enhance and project the country’s image and a tool for national development.

Speaking while congratulating Buhari on his victory at the polls, Daramola said though football was Nigeria’s number one sport, water sports has more than 40 gold medals at the Olympic Games, which far higher than other events.

He advised the incoming president to appoint capable hands as sports administrators, both in the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Commission (NSC), noting that the sector should not be regarded as job for the boys. “This is the time for all sporting federations to be reorganized with a focus on getting the best hands to manage our athletes ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

All hands must be on deck to make it a glorious outing for Nigeria, especially in water sports,” he said. He enjoined the private sector to join hands with government to achieve development in water sports, just as he lauded the Nigeria Navy for giving the club the platform and enabling environment to operate.

Daramola also advised sailors around the country to register for the Democracy Day race holding on May 29 at the Club’s waterfront at the Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos. The race, according to the Club Commodore, would commence from the Naval Base Apapa and terminate at Navy Sailing Club, Ojo.