By Ado Salisu
The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has commended the Tunde Delu Initiative for successfully organising the maiden RIYE Under-15 Athletics Circuit, describing the competition as a model for grassroots sports development in Nigeria.
Speaking at the grand finale on Friday at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, Olopade praised the convener, Hon. Tunde Delu, for creating a platform that has uncovered promising young athletes from communities across Ogun State.
According to the NSC Director-General, the initiative demonstrates Delu’s unwavering commitment to youth and sports development.
He added that more private individuals should emulate such efforts to help identify and nurture the next generation of champions.
“Hon. Tunde Delu has shown genuine passion for sports development. This is the kind of initiative we need across the country.
“He has created another pathway for young talents to be discovered, and I must commend him for investing in the future of these children through athletics,” he said.
Olopade stressed that grassroots sports remain the bedrock of sustained sporting success and urged more well-meaning Nigerians to invest in similar programmes that can transform the lives of young people.
“When we provide opportunities like this for children, we are doing much more than organising competitions. We are creating hope, building careers, producing future champions, creating wealth, and steering young people away from social vices.
“This is the direction sports development should take, and I encourage more people to support grassroots initiatives like this,” he added.
The RIYE Under-15 Athletics Circuit began with zonal qualifying competitions across Ogun State’s four sporting districts—Remo, Ijebu, Yewa, and Egba—before the best athletes converged in Abeokuta for the grand finale.
The competition featured boys’ and girls’ events in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x100m mixed relay, 4x400m mixed relay, shot put, long jump, and high jump.
The tournament attracted more than 2,000 athletes from over 200 schools across the state. The organisers reaffirmed their commitment to making the championship an annual platform for discovering and developing future athletics stars.
