Sports teaches you to be a winner – Watson

By Mmachi Ilechukwu
The United States Mission has urged Nigerian girls to embrace sports which they said was a great unifying factor that could expose them to other skills that could be beneficial to them.

The public diplomacy officer for the United States Consulate General Lagos, Rhonda Watson threw this challenge to Nigerian kids at a football project tagged “Kick like a Girl” at Saint Gregory’s college Obalende Tuesday.

She said the mission was interested in empowering girls to take to sports. “TheUSmission wants to use this as a global initiative to empower young girls knowing that sports is a unifying factor. It will help discipline the girls and open their eyes to skills they never knew they had” Watson told reporters.

In her own words; “sports will make you challenge yourselves and teach you how to be a winner”

According to the organizers, the “Kick like a Girl” project is an attempt at breaking stereotypes that girls are bad at sports, it seeks to create an awareness that girls are as good as boys when it comes to sports.

The organisers also invited resource persons to give motivational talks to the kids. Among them were sports manager of radio Nigeria Nneka Ikem and Supersports sportscaster Chisom Mbonu.

Ms Ikem relayed her personal life to the kids and encouraged them to believe in themselves and and take part in sports because with sports, they cannot remain at a particular level, they will keep attaining greater heights while Ms Mbonu also motivated the girls and told them that when they are engaged in sports, they are less likely to drop out of school and with sports, they can also gain determination because sports will push them to be the best they can be.

The organizers also said they plan to reach more students in southern states and empower as many girls as they can.