Lekan Fatodu, director general (D-G), Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), on Monday said he was confident that Team Lagos would dominate the podium at the 2024 National Youth Games (NYG) in Delta.

Mr Fatodu expressed confidence while speaking with journalists in Lagos.

He was giving an update on the preparedness of the team ahead of the games.

Team Lagos came second on the medals table at the last NYG, hosted and won by Delta, in 2023.

Mr Fatodu said that given the abundance of talents, the state was blessed with and the rigorous training undergone by the team ahead of the games, the state contingent would emerge best in the 2024 edition.

“It is a great pleasure to say that we have the most enthusiastic and optimistic young athletes, rising stars, who will be representing Lagos state at the National Youth Games.

“We had a pleasant experience at the zonal elimination, which is a pointer to the fact that the state is going to come out big in the games proper.

“After the zonal elimination, we were able to secure ten slots out of about 16, but collectively within the NYG itself, in about 36 slots, we will be competing in about 34 games.

“This shows Lagos state is going to be one of the most competitive teams to look out for, and we are really really prepared to dominate the podium,” he said.

Mr Fatodu added that the abundant talents in the state meant that the state was an incubator for future sporting stars in the country.

“We have a lot of young people who definitely will become one of the big names in sports, in Nigeria, in Africa and the world in general.

“We have been able to monitor them and also have a tunnel for a passage to their vision based on their performances.

“We have engaged them in adequate training, camping and we can say, with all sense of conviction, that these are people who are actually stars in their own right,” he said.

Mr Fatodu added that though Lagos had yet to win the NYG since its inception,  the present team would win the 2024 edition.

“We came second at the last NYG, but for this team, they are so young and understanding. We are not just fighting to be the first but also to dominate.

“A lot of people have told us that it is quite ambitious, but what is Lagos if we are not ambitious?

“Basically, we are now just looking at scaling up on the number competing with those who can potentially compete with us on the number one slot.

“We also want to increase the number of medals, not just medals, but also the number of talents that we are going to be getting from the games,” he said.

Mr Fatodu also added that Team Lagos comprised 270 athletes competing in 34 games.

(NAN)