By Uzor Odigbo

Principals and Gamemasters of Unity and Federal government Colleges have been accused of aiding diminishing sports talents in schools.
In recent times, students have been  cajoled in making career choices only in academics while relegating sports talents to the background.
In his address at the recently concluded Government College Ughelli (GCU) athletics school relay in Delta State, the technical director of the meet Sir Emmanuel Elili made it clear that sports talents have been lost in preference to academic prowess.
“I want to draw attention to the uncanny actions of most Principals and Gamemasters who always force their students to chose academics when it is a known fact that such students struggle to cope with academic task”
According to him, why most students excel in sports in other countries especially in the US, Britain and others was as a result of opportunities they have in making their career choices and excel in it.
But Nigerian schools are different, Principals and Gamemasters usually make huge error of deciding  career choices for their students irrespective of where their talents lie.
Elili, insisted that some of the renown Nigerian sports stars of yesteryears and today were discovered while in schools and at the same time given the opportunity to develop both their academics and sports talents.
He reiterated that the reasons behind GCU athletics relay was to discover young talents in secondary schools and nurture them to stardom.
He urged all school heads to assist in this project as to minimise the huge number of school dropouts with individual sports talents.
“Our schools have to protect and at the time project both academic and sports talents, but any student that fails in academics such individual should be assisted in horning his or her sports talent like other countries do” Elili said.
Sponsors, he said, would gladly support a sports talented student to one that struggles academically