The Lagos State Government has reiterated its determination to continue to use sports as vehicle for tourism in the State just as Samurai International Rugby Football Club of Kenya justified its top ranking by emerging winners in the Lagos organized Independence Rugby 7s tournament held at Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of Lagos State Sports Commission and Special Adviser on Sports to the Governor, Mr. Deji Tinubu, said the State government has, through the tournament, demonstrated what it takes to create new sports culture in the State, saying “as long as people love the sport, we have to embrace it”.
He explained that the tournament has been on for a couple of years and the present administration feels it can rightly be used as a vehicle to drive tourism in the State.
Tinubu emphasized that it’s not by chance that Samurai, the prestigious and globally recognised rugby team from Kenya, which is arguably the world’s most successful national rugby 7s team, defeated Cowrie Rugby Football Club of Lagos by five tries and one conversion to earn 27 points against latter which had two tries and earned 10 points.
Fahad Adil, team manager of the victorious team, visibly elated for winning the competition, said the Independence Rugby 7s competition had created an avenue for the team to parade players who had not participated in competitive tournaments for a while.
According to him, “Having watched the video tapes and live matches of Cowrie Rugby Football Club, we incapacitated our opponents, especially in the first half of the final match since the club’s strength lies in the early half of a match.”
He pointed out that Nigeria’s Black Stallion was good but the team’s condition needed to be improved, adding that the team is capable of performing better if corporate bodies and sports philanthropists can invest in the team to make it a force to reckon with in Africa.
