, said it will honour sports icons with outstanding contributions to the state.){kind=link}
The Ondo State Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), said it will honour sports icons and personalities with outstanding contributions to the state.
The association in a communique made available to newsmen on Saturday in Akure at the end of its congress, explained that the decision was part of celebrating the state’s 50th anniversary.
The communique was jointly signed by the Chairman, Secretary and member of the drafting committee respectively, Adewale Momoh, Akintunde Jacob and Adebayo Familoyo.
The communique, said the congress was presided over by the SWAN Chairman in the state, Segun Giwa, while various sporting associations in the state would assist with honouring the sports icons.
According to it, the sports icons were not recognised during the 50th anniversary celebrations, hence, the decision to honour them.
The communique, however, congratulated Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the people of the state, on the golden jubilee. It urged sports stakeholders in the state to work together to strengthen sports development, particularly in football.
“The Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA), parent body of the Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens Football Clubs, is not working in consonance with other relevant bodies, for the success of football in the state,” the communique read.
“The association finds it preposterous that management of ODSFA would, at this crucial time and without elaborate explanation to players and officials, reduce their salaries ahead of the second stanza of the Nigeria National League (NNL).”
It further expressed concern over the lack of a befitting stadium in the state to host national sporting events, noting that the situation had continued to deny Ondo the economic benefits from major competitions.