NPUGA athletes capable of helping to boost Nigeria’s global sports ranking

The President of Nigerian Private Universities Games Association (NPUGA), Akintunde Akinola, has said the Games has the potential of producing future athletes for the nation.

Akinola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that most of the athletes participating in the Games have the potential to do better if better trained in their various sports.

He said student-athletes’ performance at this year’s edition of NPUGA, hosted by Turkish-Nile University in Abuja, showed that there were lots of potential among them.

“This year’s edition of NPUGA had 1,473 male and 620 female students from 22 private universities participating in 10 events.

“Even as the Games were organised to promote spirit of sportsmanship and exercise among students, some of them exhibited the potential of excelling globally in sports.

“I urge those in charge of sports in the country to show more interest in harnessing sports potential from national events like NPUGA,” Akinola said.

Similarly, Wole Oyerinde, Chairman of NPUGA’s Technical Committee, commended the students who took part in the Games.

“We had 2,093 athletes, made up of 1,473 male and 620 female students at the 2017 edition of NPUGA, and some of them have the potential to become national and international athletes.

“Sports is a veritable tool for academic excellence. It also enhances mental and physical development of athletes.

“While NUGA (Nigerian Universities Games Association) has gone so far, NPUGA has come into being to reach the grassroots and those not reached, and then tap the hitherto-untapped sources of human resources we have in the country.