The Ill treatment melted on athletes and lack of administrative dexterity in Imo Sports sector has continued to rear up its ugly head as these acts denied the state more medals and better finish on the log at the just concluded National Para-Games in Abuja.
Trumpeta sports desk learnt that Imo would have had more than 59 medals it garnered and possibly placed higher than the 6th position on the final medal table but for the administrative ineptitude of our sports officials and the “share the money” attitude of those in charge.
According to some of the athletes including staff who spoke to Trumpeta sports desk on anonymous for fear of victimization;
“We have been suffering these ill treatment but we were thinking Commissioner Ogu’s tenure would be different.
“The Governor would always approve our budget or in some cases reduce the budget to a appreciable amount but the ‘Ogas’ at the top for their selfish reasons would start dropping athletes, officials with the guise that their sport will not attend the event even when they would have trained very well and possess gold medal potentials.
“These have always been the norm by our spots heads and we don’t know why such flimsy excuses would be given even when we rejected to represent other states.
This paper however learnt that some of the dropped athletes did stage a protest when the wicked act was repeated before the states contingent left for Abuja but nothing meaningful was done by the Sports Commissioner.
To make matters worse, one of the Imo reject athletes who prepared fervently prior to the games refused to reject themselves as Trumpeta learnt they applied to represent our neighboring state (Abia) who obviously with administrative dexterity in sports saw the potentials in the team and took them along to the games were they did not just participate but won the ultimate gold in the Deaf para-Soccer for the “Gods Own State”.
Many sports pundits have continued to wonder why a state blessed with such potential couldn’t capitalize on the available opportunity and eschew personal gains to give the athletes the opportunity to perform at the national stage and win laurels for the state.
They further queried if the Governor failed to release enough fund for the games and why but if he did what happened to the funds.
It is indeed worrisome for the future of sports development judging from how Heartland FC is struggling at the bottom of the NPFL league and it also means the sports council and the sports commissioner failed to learn from their mistake during the National Festival at Edo were we denied an Imo athlete a chance to represent the state and she went ahead to represent the host state where she later won Silver for Edo state.
