By Adedoyin Falolu
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has called for private participation in sports development.
The Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu reiterate on the need to chart a new course for the management of sports and football club ownership in the country.
Akeredolu, who said sports development is capital-intensive, noted that governments can no longer manage clubs and sponsor sports effectively in view of the current financial challenges facing the country.
He spoke in his office on Thursday during a courtesy visit on him by the Forum of Elders in Sports in Ondo State led by its Chairman, Elder Timothy Akinrodoye.
Governor Akeredolu recommended that private participation in sports development will enhance the performance of sportsmen and women in competitions.
The Governor stressed that only private individuals or corporate bodies can provide the much needed fund that can make sports productive and impactful in the country.
He, however, charged the group to leverage on their contacts to attract private and corporate bodies into sports development in the state, assuring them of government support.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Forum, Elder Timothy Akinrodoye, said members of the group were passionate about developing sports in Ondo State and that, as veterans in competitive sports in both national and international levels, taking sports to higher pedestal is their avowed determination.