Newly-elected 2nd vice President of Nigeria Archery Federation, Mike Egbayelo, has pledged his commitment to ensuring Nigeria becomes a force in the sport in Africa, while also aiming for the country to rub shoulders with the best in the world by way of debuting at the 2024 Olympics Olympics in Paris, France.
Egbayelo, who defeated incumbent Ayo Phillips to also emerge as the South West representative on the board in Wednesday’s poll in Abuja, said various plans have been tailored for the phenomenal rise of the sport in Nigeria.
He stated: “Last year, we launched the Strategic Action Plan for Archery in Lagos in line with the THEMES agenda of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu to make the sports a driving force of development and empowerment of the grassroots and there has been rise in the popularity and growth of the sport.
“As it stands, Archery is the fastest growing sport in Lagos with the establishment of 25 clubs in just one year.
“The same template would be used to develop the sport across Nigeria and we are sure that it will help us achieve our ultimate goal, which is to be a leading force in Africa and also to compete with the best at major international tournaments, particularly at the 2024 Olympics.”
As at the start of March, there are 33 more places to be filled for Archery at the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but Egbayelo, the Vice Chairman of Lagos Archery, said it would be wise to plan for the one in four year’s time.
Archery is also a Paralympics sport and Egbayelo pledged that the physically-challenged athletes won’t be left out of the development programme.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
