Not ready to accommodate what it termed an “unproductive and undisciplined” set of athletes, Lagos State Sports Commission, yesterday, commenced the recruitment of new stars into its senior team.
On Friday, the Director General of Lagos State Sports Commission, Olalekan Fatodu, officially dissolved Team Lagos, directing the “productive ones” to reapply.
The decision may not be unconnected with a recent protest by some senior athletes over a cash reward.
Yesterday, the athletes from various local councils of the state trooped out to the Tealim Balogun Stadium in Surulere to key into the new registration process.
Speaking with journalists during the exercise, Fatodu stated that the process became necessary for Lagos State to maintain its status as a centre of excellence in Nigerian sports.
“The glamour days of Lagos as the centre of sports excellence in Nigeria are back, and we have to put in place measures to consolidate, particularly after Team Lagos emerged champions at the 2025 National Youth Games in Asaba,” Fatodu said.
“Over time, we have seen athletes claiming to represent Lagos, and they have been in one position for over 15 or 16 years. Gone are the days when people aged 40 to 43 years will be parading themselves as senior athletes of Team Lagos. Lagos is not training professional athletes, but our duty is to identify raw talents to be nurtured to become national stars. Now, we have put in place measures to reposition sports in the state for better results,” he said.
He said that the state must embrace reforms that strengthen governance, enforce transparency, and streamline the systems.
“Prior to now, there has never been a central database to identify our athletes and manage their performance. As a result, impostors and athletes past their peak have taken advantage of this gap, using it as a meal ticket. To address this, we have introduced an online portal for the enlistment of senior athletes, monitoring, and performance evaluation. I am happy with the turnout of athletes, and I want to assure them that those who meet our standard will be engaged within the shortest period,” Fatodu stated.
