Tag: DAWN Games

The maiden edition of South-West Secondary Schools Games tagged DAWN Games begins on Friday May 16 in Lagos with over 2,000 athletes and officials in attendance.

The DAWN Games, which will be competed by athletes from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti State, is a 12 sports tournament of Nigeria School Sports Federation, NSSF. The sports are Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Football, Gymnastics, Scrabble, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Taekwondo and Volleyball.

It will be staged in three centres across Lagos: Agege Stadium, Mobolaji Johnson Sports Complex, Rowe Park, Yaba and the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, while the NYSC Camp at Iyana Ipaja in Lagos.

According to the schedule of event released to the media by the Technical Sub-Committee of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), athletes and officials are expected to check in to the Games Village on Friday with accreditations taking off in full swing, while events will begin on Sunday May 18 with Football and Gymnastics taking the centre stage at the Agege Stadium and Rowe Park Sports Centre respectively.

According to the schedules, Rowe Park will also play host to Badminton, Basketball and Tennis. At Teslim Balogun Stadium, sports such as Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Swimming, Scrabble and Athletics will be on stage, while Agege Stadium will also host Chess.

It was gathered that Team Ogun, would present 186 athletes, while no fewer than 163 athletes will represent Team Lagos.

Meanwhile, a member of basketball team for Lagos, Ololade Azeez has expressed confidence that Lagos will win gold medal in both male and female basketball event of the competition.

“I am happy to be among the players that will represent Lagos at DAWN Games. Our training so far is superb and very impressive. We are in good form now and ready to win gold medals for team Lagos in Basketball both male and female category,” he said.

Head Coach of Badminton of Team Lagos, Kayode Olatunji said there is high spirit in camp as the players are looking forward to participating at the DAWN Games, adding that the supports the players and officials received from the state government will boost their morale to excel at the Games, which will end on 24 May.

Contrary to report that Ondo State has pulled out of the maiden Secondary School Sports Games tagged DAWN Games, the Director General of DAWN Commission, Dipo Famakinwa has refuted this report, saying, Ondo will be part of the competition holding in Lagos.

“DAWN Commission, the Regional agency managing the Southwest integration agenda, would like to state that the Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko was duly notified, along with his brother Governors, of the design, the processes and planning of the DAWN Games 2014,” he said.

He added: “And of course, Ondo State has been duly represented at all the preliminary meetings leading to the hosting of the Games. Indeed, at the initial Stakeholders’ Meeting comprising the six (6) States where the Rules and Regulations and Timelines for the DAWN Games 2014 were agreed upon, Ondo State was represented at that meeting by the Director in charge of Sports in the State Ministry of Education.

“Also at the Joint Technical Meeting of all the Stakeholders, and Inspection of facilities for the Games which took place in Lagos on April 23 – 25, 2014, Ondo State was fully represented at the meeting by Mr. Jide Fawolu, the Director, School Sports, Ondo State. In fact at that meeting, the State representative submitted the duly completed DAWN Games 2014 Preliminary Entry Forms to the Technical Sub-committee, which was a confirmation of the State’s participation at the DAWN Games,” Famakinwa said.

He continued, “It must also be stated that the National Sports Commission (NSC) has been a major stakeholder in the planning of the Games. In fact, Dr. Steve Olarinoye and Peter Nelson have represented the NSC South West Zone as members of the Central Working Committee and Local Organising Committee of the Games.”

He said that games for Secondary Schools in the Southwest is designed as an annual event to be hosted on a rotational basis among all the six States in the Region.

“The Games forms part of the holistic roadmap for the economic and social integration of the Southwest Region of Nigeria, especially with regards to the discovery of new sporting talents, creation of opportunities for personal development, culture promotion, employment generation, crime reduction, and to further engender brotherly relations among the constituent States, as well as reinforcing the unique affinities of the people of the Region,” he said.

The DG added: “It is part of the overall strategy for leveraging and optimising the favourable demographic swing within the Region on a sustainable basis. The Games have nothing to do with politics. In fact the Commission has no such mandate in the pursuit of all its actions.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the DAWN Games 2014 has recorded significant success in its marketing drive as more companies continue to sign on as sponsors/partners for the Games.

The DAWN Games (South-West States Secondary Schools Games) will hold in Lagos from May 16 to 24, 2014 with over 2,000 athletes from the six states, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos competing for honours in 12 sports.

Some of the companies that have signed on with the Marketing Subcommittee include Nestle Nigeria Plc, Honeywell Foods, Bingo Foods and Beverages with Vivi Chocolate, GT Bank, First Bank and PZ.

Some of these companies are already very visible at the designated Games venues.   According to the Marketing Subcommittee, other companies are expected to come on board before the Games commence.

Chairman of the LOC and Lagos State Commissioner of Sports, Wahid Oshodi, expressed the state government’s appreciation to all the companies that are supporting the DAWN Games, adding that this only goes to confirm that in Lagos State, there is indeed an excellent collaboration between the public and private sectors in all areas, sports inclusive.

He further enjoined other private sector companies to support the state government in its efforts to ensure effective and sustainable sports development.

Meanwhile, Star College of Ikorodu have emerged the winners of the Men’s Volleyball event after defeating Rockford College, Ikorodu at the final played at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos at the Lagos State Sports Festival tagged Ibile Games which ends on Saturday.

Star College won the final by 3- 0, while United Christian College, Ikorodu settled for the third position. Star College team were also adjudged the best male school in the Volleyball event of the Games.

Davo Patrick of Star College was awarded the tournament’s Most Valuable Player due to his performance. Rockford College, Ikorodu dominated the women’s category, as the school defeated United Christian Secondary School by 3-0.

Musa Abosede of Rockford was adjudged Volleyball’s Most Valuable Player in the female cadre, while Ajigbada Girls Senior High School, Surulere were the Best Female volleyball school.