The Lagos State Government, hosts of the maiden DAWN Games, says it is not desperate to  win the championships.

The DAWN Games — Development Agenda for Western Nigeria — are for students of secondary schools in the South-West.

Ibirogba

The Games are scheduled to hold in Lagos from May 16 to May 24.

Addressing a news conference on yesterday in Lagos, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibirogba, said the Games were being hosted to discover talents in the zone.

“The reason for staging the Games is to identify talents, the real winners and not age-cheats.

“We want to be able to support the genuine talents from among our youths, so that when identified, we shall be able to nurture them to stardom.”

“We know the talents exist and we want to use the Games to engage the youth of the six states that make up the South-West — Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Lagos,” he said.

Ibirogba said that one of the lasting legacies the leadership in the zone wished to bequeath was a vibrant younger generation united in their love for sports.

He added:“We also want them to have opportunity of competing while still in school.

“We think that through the arrangement, we can encourage proper growth of sports with the right age groups and in the process, foster integration.”

Ibirogba, flanked by the State Commissioner for Sports, Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, said the governments of the six states merely took advantage of their common economic bond through the DAWN Commission to set up a sports structure.

The information commissioner solicited the support of the media for effective coverage of the championships.

Ibirogba said that it was the wish of the governments in the zone that the Games would be an annual event.

According to him, the Games would start off with 12 sports — Athletics, Basketball, Tennis, Table Tennis, Football, Swimming, Taekwondo, Badminton, Gymnastics, Chess, Scrabble and Volleyball.

The commissioner said the concept of the Games had no political colouration, adding that Ondo State, under the Labour Party Government, would participate.

“Beyond party politics, all the six states are one. The games are not aimed at exclusion but inclusion.