*Plans big for Roller sports

By John Egbokhan

President of the Nigeria Rolling Skating Federation, Comrade Joseph Evah has warned that Team Nigeria was heading for a disastrous outing at the Rio Olympics holding in the summer.

The biggest sporting spectacle in the world runs from August 5 to August 21 in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro and with about three and half months to the opening of the Games, Evah, who is the Coordinator, Ijaw Monitoring Group is worried with the seeming slow pace of preparations of the athletes by the country’s sports administrators.

Presidential PARADE: Comrade Joseph Evah (c) with some athletes of the Rolling and Skating Federation at the National Stadium, Lagos last week.

Speaking after being officially recognised as the President of the Nigeria Rolling Skating Federation by the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Evah said Team Nigeria was preparing to fail in Rios because of the sluggish pace with which the Sports Ministry was attending to athletes preparations.

Noting that while other serious countries like USA, Britain, Jamaica, Kenya, Ethiopia, Germany, China, South Africa, Egypt and Russia can read into the crystal ball to predict the number of medals they will win in Rio based on the advanced level of preparations that have gone into the Summer Games, Evah said the same cannot be said of Nigerian athletes, who he quipped were at a loss as to where their next meal will come from, not to talk of thinking of what colour of medals they will win in Brazil.

“Are we really preparing for the Olympics, which will start in some few months time? I don’t think so based on our body language and general lack of preparations for the biggest sporting event in the world”, Evah spluttered out in an interview with Saturday Vanguard Sports.

Continuing, Evah, known for his unrelenting struggle for the Ijaw people said “with what I am seeing, we are heading for a disastrous outing at the Olympics because our sports administrators are simply preparing our athletes to fail. As a speak, no serious preparation is being done to make our athletes compete with the other athletes they will face in Rio.

“Which level of preparations have our athletes going to the Rio Games attained in the last one year? I dare say, nothing. Even those who are going round to battle to qualify for the Games are not being supported by the sports ministry, whose duty it is to see to their success in those qualifiers.

“What goes on here is simply unbelievable and demoralising as athletes train with obsolete equipment and without competent coaches and are expected to perform magic at the Olympics. It is not possible. You cannot reap where you did not sow. We are going to reap rubbish in Rio with the way we are going to the Olympics”, warned Evah.

He urged the Sports Ministry to chart a new path of preparation method for major competitions like the Olympics, stating the usual fire brigade approach by Nigerians to events is going to get them nowhere near their target of medals attainment.

Meanwhile, Evah has stated that he plans to make the Nigeria Rolling Skating Federation a sport that youths can turn to for a better living.

While expressing his delight over the unity in the rolling family, Evah pledged to reposition the game for optimumum success

He urged stakeholders to join hands to uplift the sport, enjoining the athletes to see themselves as part of the building blocks for the development of the sport. He also called on well meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations to support the Federation through donations and financial sponsorship.

“We cannot do it alone. We need the support of the corporate world to make our country safer through the instrumentality of sports. I believe that sports can solve this country’s problems but are we ready to make the sacrifice”, Evah asked rhetorically

Evah said that a task force would be set up to monitor rollers, who have formed the habit of ‘hanging’ on moving vehicles along major road in the country.