President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, has urged the Federal Government to prioritize sports development following Team Nigeria’s underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Igali, a world and Olympic champion, criticized the short-term strategies used in preparing for tournaments, asserting that this “fire brigade approach” has hindered the growth of sports in the nation.
Emphasizing the importance of age-grade competitions for international success, Igali highlighted the necessity to combat age cheating, which undermines the integrity of youth tournaments. “To address this challenge, we must adopt a proactive approach. The government needs to take sports development seriously,” he stated.
While praising the Delta State Government for hosting the Youth Games, Igali expressed concern over age-cheating incidents that marred the event. He regarded the youth games as “the most important competition we have in the country today.”
Igali criticized the win-at-all-costs mentality prevalent in some states, which he believes detracts from the hard work of others and called for enhanced grassroots sports development. He assured his continued involvement in the Wrestling Federation’s initiatives, vowing to support its growth even after his current tenure concludes.
