The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) has commenced a statewide screening exercise to identify and select talented secondary school athletes who will represent the state at the maiden edition of the National Intermediate Games, scheduled to hold in Lagos this October.
As part of the talent discovery initiative, the Commission organised a Secondary School Sports Fiesta, an open trial that brought together students from public and private secondary schools across the state. The event, held at the Tolu Secondary School Complex, Ajegunle, featured competitions in Athletics, Chess, and Scrabble.
Speaking at the event, the Director of School Sports at the Lagos State Sports Commission, Dr. Oluyomi Oluwasanmi, explained that the sports fiesta forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen Lagos State’s Under-18 teams ahead of the national competition.
She noted that athletes discovered during the trials would be integrated into the existing pool of state Under-18 athletes before undergoing additional screening and intensive training ahead of the championship.
“The purpose of the Lagos State Secondary School Sports Fiesta is to comb the nooks and crannies of the state, especially within our school system, to discover more talents that can strengthen our already established pool in preparation for the maiden edition of the National Intermediate Games, which Lagos State will host in October,” she said.
Dr. Oluwasanmi further disclosed that additional screening exercises would be conducted across the state to ensure no promising talent is overlooked.
“More trials will still be organised to discover athletes who will join the existing pool. Thereafter, training will commence so that by September, Lagos State will have formidable teams across all approved sporting events,” she added.
Also addressing the participants, the Director of Sports Development at the Commission, Mr. Nunayon Travih, encouraged the students to seize the opportunity to showcase their abilities and compete with confidence.
He explained that the screening exercise aligns with the vision of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the leadership of the Lagos State Sports Commission under Mr. Lekan Fatodu to assemble the strongest possible team for the competition.
According to Travih, the selection process is designed to merge outstanding athletes discovered through school competitions with those already identified by various sports associations under the Commission.
“This is an opportunity to express yourself and give your very best. We want to bring together talents from both the school system and sports associations to build a formidable team capable of making Lagos State proud at the National Intermediate Games,” he said.
The Secondary School Sports Fiesta underscores the Lagos State Government’s continued commitment to grassroots sports development, talent discovery, and youth empowerment through competitive sporting opportunities.
