Ogun State judo association promises to revive sport

By Ifeanyi Eduzor

Vice chairman of the Ogun State Judo Association, Segun Olanrewaju has given assurance that the state will soon dominate the oriental sport in the country.

Olanrewaju who was speaking with journalists shortly after the inauguration of the new board of the association last Wednesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital said the Gateway State is blessed with abundant talents waiting to be discovered.
As the first step to be taken by the board, Olanrewaju said an aggressive grassroots programme would be launched soon.

According to him “With an astute sports administrator, Dr. Jimmy Adeniyi as chairman of the board, the judo community in Ogun State and beyond should expect a revolution in the game”.

“The chairman is a strong advocate of grassroots sports development and that is going to be the core policy of our board”.

He further said “Our board will place emphasis on the grassroots, we will take judo to schools, nooks and crannies of the state, fish out the talents and nurture them to stardom”.

Olanrewaju, a Sports Marketing and Media Consultant admitted that funding for the board’s ambitious programmes could be a challenge.

“Yes, funding could be a challenge because government alone cannot bear the burden of funding sports”.

He was quick to add “However Ogun State is blessed with a lot of industries and philanthropists who are always willing to support a noble cause”.

He said the board would embark on a sponsorship drive soon so as to raise funds to augment whatever comes in from the state government.

Looking ahead, Olanrewaju who is also a journalist said the future was bright for judo in Ogun State under the visionary leadership of Dr. Adeniyi.

Sounding upbeat he declared “With Dr. Adeniyi in the driver’s seat, judo in Ogun State will never be the same again. He has the experience and passion to take judo in the state to another level”, he concluded