The Kwara State Government is set to establish Golf and Table Tennis Academies to train youth to become top players and champions in national and international competitions.
The State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday in Ilorin shortly after performing the ceremonial tee off during the Kwara @ 50 Open Golf Championship, holding at the Ilorin Golf Course.
Governor Ahmed said the idea of establishing the two Academies in the state is still on course and promised that it would be taken to fruition in order to support the Kwara Football Academy.
The governor noted that the state government is poised to making the Ilorin Golf Course a centre of attraction and destination for golfers across the country, saying the Course would continue to stand top among comity of golf courses in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region.
Ahmed encouraged Nigerians to develop interest in the game of Golf, saying it is not an elitist game as being insinuated in some quarters.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Bolakale Ayo, said the government would not relent in encouraging sports development in the state, particularly at grassroot level, adding that the championship would improve the socio-economic development of the state.
Earlier in his remarks, the Captain of Ilorin Golf Course, Layi Maliki, had disclosed that the Championship and the Ibadan Open Championship would serve as qualifiers for an international championship billed for Equatorial Guinea with 138 professional Golfers.
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