The Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) yesterday disclosed that the essence of its just-concluded seminar on ‘Anti-doping for Schools’ Sports Masters in the country was to control the danger of doping at the grassroots.

The federation’s President, Olabisi Joseph, while speaking with newsmen in Lagos said that the NSSF collaborated with the National Anti-Doping Commission and the University of Ibadan in the two-day virtual seminar adding that not less than 300 sports masters across the country participated in the event. She said:

“As part of the NSSF’s Seven-point development agenda IMPACTS, “A” stands for organising Age Appropriation programme devoid of cheating.

“Doping is cheating, and NSSF will display zero tolerance to cheating of any kind.

“Which is why we find it very important to collaborate with our partner TETFUND, the University of Ibadan and the National Anti-Doping Committee to ensure that our Games Masters and Sports Officers are well informed and trained on the issue of anti-doping.

“If we get it right with these young impressionable children from the get-go, we may be able to eradicate doping at the professional level.

“The importance of this seminar is to keep our teachers and sports officers abreast with methods that can be used to identify prohibited substances.”

The president stressed that there was a need to educate game masters and sports officers on how to recognise the signs to look out for. Her words:

“It is important to have an idea of the roles and responsibilities of games masters and sports officers as athlete support personnel to identify dangers associated with doping.

“It is important we train teachers, sports officers on how to be able to inculcate a drug-free sports culture in our school boys and girls, knowing that the use of prohibited substances to enhance performance is not the right attitude.”  

The participants included physical health education teachers, games masters, sports coordinators from the Ministry of Education, SUBEB, sports councils/commission, Secondary Education Board and Zonal/District coordinators.

A participant and an executive of NSSF, Dr Oba Funsho said the importance of the seminar cannot be overemphasized as stated:

“There is a saying that to stop learning is to stop growing. Training is a key point in the development agenda of the NSSF and we believe that the progress of an organisation is greatly determined by the knowledge acquired and implemented by its people.

“It is sad that some of these games masters do not know how to help these children make the right choice, and it is important that those who these children are under their purview understand the need to help these young ones make better choices.

“We believe that we need to teach them about the dangers of toeing that dangerous path, so in the future we can have athletes that focused on being men and women of integrity.

“As a participant I can only implore other participants to please pay maximum attention to our pupils and also apply the knowledge derived from the seminar.

“Knowledge, they say, is potential but becomes power when applied.”

A former Chairman of National Anti-Doping Committee, Femi Ayorinde, who monitors anti-doping activities in Nigeria, mentioned that the seminar shouldn’t be a one-off in order to constantly re-educate the handlers. His words:

“We cannot downplay the fact that doping which enhance athletes performances is a new trend, but what we can do to curb it is to ensure that young athletes understand the implications of using banned substances.

“We can start to educate them now, so they’d do better and make the right choices,” he said.

Secretary-General of the African Schools Sports Federation, ASSF, and a member of the executive committee of the International Schools Sports Federation, Abdoulaye Bamba-Mbaye, applauded the effort of the Joseph-led board as he said:

 “It is highly commendable that these children have a body that truly cares about their overall well being.

“It’s not just about organising competitions, it is also about instilling the right morals in them which is commendable. The ASSF is proud of the initiative.”