Onyali, Ogbeifo-Balofin, others float Basic Olympic Opportunity Sports Training

A member of the Nigerian Olympic Fund Group, Mr Jide Fashikun, has said the establishment of a gymnasium in Offa, Kwara State, is a project known as BOOST by 10 Nigerian sports brands headed by the former African queen of the track, Chief Mary Onyali-Omagbemi.
 
Fashikun said that he and other eight Nigerian sports brands behind the Basic Olympic Opportunity Sports Training (BOOST) project are Nduka Odizor, Professor Sadiq Abdullahi, the late Sunday Bada, the late Shaibu Amodu, Bose Kaffo, Pat Itanyi, Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin and Charlton Ehizuelen.
 
He stated that BOOST will be in phases to achieve its set objectives.
 
"We have three phases for the delivery of the project. There is the elite athlete programme. 90 athletes from five sports: athletics, wrestling, taekwondo, table tennis and tennis will enjoy a N35million each budget to prepare them specifically for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Renowned coaches have been contracted to train youngsters in all the mentioned fields.
 
"The second is the all-comers programme and the school project. The All-comers is for those who are 11 years to 17 years whose span is mid-term and children in primary and secondary schools who we will catch young and help to have a long span in sports.
Each of the 11 of us on the project is entitled to a community development project. The first toss was for Chief Ruth Ogbeifo-Balofin, a Sydney 2000 Olympic silver medallist, who hailed from Kokori in Delta State but chose Offa.
 
"When she (Ruth) finished at the 7th All Africa Games in Johannesburg, South Africa where she won three gold medals in weightlifting, she had a career threatening injury and was abandoned.
 
"Private sources were launched by journalists in Ilorin and the proprietor of Olalomi Hospital took over her treatment, flight etc. In return, Ruth took the project back to his benefactor's community which incidentally is Offa," said Fashikun who further disclosed that N10m worth of sporting equipment are already in Lagos that would be installed in Offa Club House where the training would be carried out from January next year.
 
He stated that the BOOST would be funded through lottery funds. 
 
"It is a community project, the Nigeria Olympic Fund will raise the fund but a local governance structure will manage the funds to achieve the objectives. Every child that lives in that community or ancillary communities are allowed to, as of right, participate in any sport of their choice.
 
"All funds are to be raised by lottery (national and community), celebrity endorsement and other measures but no single kobo will come from any government account. If government personnel give us in their private capacities, we shall take but not official funds," he added.
 
Meanwhile, the 1994 Commonwealth Games 100m champion, Onyali, had during a courtesy call on the Oloffa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi in his palace last weekend with members of the sports brands said the project is aimed at reviving the declines fortunes of athletics in Nigeria.
 
“All of us have been to the Olympics several times, so we know it inside out, and we are determined to revive Nigeria’s athletics, by reproducing stars who are far better than us,” Onyali, the 1992 and 1996 Olympic bronze medallist said.
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Caption: 
Nigeria's first Olympic medallist in weightlifting, Ruth Ogbefo-Balofin, a member of the BOOST project.