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Tag: SEUN AKINBOHUN

  • SEUN AKINBOHUN: Second Athletics School Games will be bigger, better  

    SEUN AKINBOHUN: Second Athletics School Games will be bigger, better  

    Following the successful staging of the inaugural The Athletics School Games (TASG), the event’s initiator, Seun Akinbohun, shared that the positive feedback has inspired her to organize a second edition, which holds this month.

    She hopes that some of the participants will eventually represent Nigeria in major events like the African and Olympic Games. The Lagos State Athletics Association (LSAA)-sanctioned tournament is rapidly gaining recognition among schools, with more teams eager to participate in this year’s edition.

    “TASG began as a passion project for sports,” Akinbohun explained. “I observed that the focus in Lagos had shifted predominantly to swimming competitions, leaving little opportunity for children interested in athletics. I decided to take action and create something meaningful. Growing up, I was deeply involved in track and field, and I wanted my children and their friends to have similar opportunities to showcase their athletic skills.”

    Reflecting on the maiden edition, Akinbohun expressed her satisfaction with the experience. “You never know what you can achieve until you try. The first edition was a great experience, receiving positive feedback from participating schools, officials, and technical advisers. It was fulfilling to see the children enjoy the games, remember the medals, and cherish the experience.”

    Akinbohun was pleasantly surprised to discover scouts in the audience during the event, which confirmed the importance of TASG. “There are so many opportunities for kids in TASG, and I’m glad we are contributing to their development.”

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    The first edition featured eleven schools—four primary and seven secondary. For the second edition, the number has increased to sixteen schools, with eight primary and eight secondary schools confirmed. “We’ve expanded the event to include more kids, age categories, and flexibility. I’m excited to bring the experience from the first edition into the second, with a larger technical committee and more experienced personnel.”

    Akinbohun encourages others to follow her lead and contribute to sports development in Nigeria. “If we all complain less and take action, we can achieve so much. There are hundreds of schools in Lagos alone that we can accommodate. Friendly competitions teach children valuable lessons, and sportsmanship is a key focus for us at TASG. It’s not just about winning medals; it’s about making lifelong friends and learning important life lessons.”

    In addition to LSAA’s endorsement, TASG has received backing from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and World Athletics. “We hope to expand and include public schools in the future. It’s a work in progress, but we aim to bring public and private schools together for friendly competitions. We look forward to more support from the government and potential collaborations.”

  • SEUN AKINBOHUN: TASG is my own way of giving back

    SEUN AKINBOHUN: TASG is my own way of giving back

    Founder of The Athletics School Games (TASG) Seun Akinbohun said the school games is her own way of giving back and creating opportunities for children.   Speaking in Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), venue of the event, at the weekend, the sports enthusiasm, said: “It’s the first edition obviously there were hiccups but overall, it’s been an incredible day, the participants and parents are happy. This is my own way of giving back, creating opportunities for children to showcase their talent. Sports play a huge role in the mental wellbeing of everyone; children and adults alike. This is a way for us to create that avenue. The plan is to do this annually and we are hoping that we can get more support, more partnerships and that way, we can do it twice a year, maybe every quarter,” she said.

    The excitement on the faces of the athletes and parents and guardians, she said made her day.

    From the sprint to field events, the athletes displayed exceptional talents while the lively atmosphere put in place by the organisers set the tone for the commencement of the first private inter-school athletics championships in Lagos.

    Eleven of the 15 invited schools made up of four primary and seven secondary schools as the athletes competed fairly with their counterparts and this again affirmed the enormous talents that abound in schools across the country.

    For originator of TASG, the turnout coupled with the conduct of the athletes showed that the tournament has been well accepted by the participating teams and athletes.

    From the parents, the organisation coupled with the enthusiasm of the athletes singled out the tournament as a success.

    “This is a fantastic initiative by the founder and I think it’s long overdue. We’ve been expecting things like this to happen. We’ve had inter-schools athletics competitions in the past but for some reasons, they’ve not been consistent. So I think this is a brilliant initiative because, there many children in our schools all over Nigeria who are talented but don’t have the opportunities to showcase their talents and this is one of the avenues with which their talent can be seen,” said Ann Dankaro

    Another parent Peter Inekwe said: “This is a very huge opportunity for the children to develop and learn. The important thing is the platform created for the children and I know their development does not involve only academics but holistic, especially through sports, realizing the fact that you win sometimes and lose sometimes. That will help a child to develop and function well. My children were selected to participate in the competition and that’s why I’m here to support them and for the participants, seeing their parents being there for them, encourages children to give their very best and mentally, parents need to be there to guide their wards, telling them that they have won today or lost, there’s room for improvement for further development.”

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    “For an inaugural event, I believe it’s very well put together and everything ran smoothly, very professionally done, it was a great event. I hope support will come from various levels for the organizers to sustain the initiative. I will also like parents to encourage their children to explore sports. My child is here and when she showed interest, I encouraged her. Life is about balance, if you like something, you have to commit to it and do the work. Sports is also great for development, it teaches kids lessons they can also use in the future,” said Ibijola Aina, another parent.

    Maltina Brand Manager Clementina Kayode affirmed their company’s commitment to the event. “It’s been an amazing experience seeing children displaying their talent, having fun and also expressing their competitive spirit from the races to other field events. As sponsor of the event. Maltina is excited to be part of this because we see the way the children are able to express athletics and we are hoping to support them through this platform to really meet up their aspirations and goals. This is the world standard and it’s great, you saw the timing of the participants, world standard from all children even the pre-teen and secondary school, it’s been really nice. There’s always room for improvement and I’m sure the next outing will be better than we witnessed,” Kayode said.