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The Police Campaign Against Cultism and other Vices (POCACOV), has called for more investment on sports development at the grassroots to tackle criminality.
The National Coordinator of POCACOV, CSP Ebere Amaraizu, made the call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Enugu on the significance of the National Sports Day.
The day is observed on Aug. 29, to honour athletes, national teams and sports traditions that had earned the country glory and respect.
Amaraizu, who is also an Olympic Solidarity Sports Administrator, said there was need to deepen community and rural sports values among the youths, as part of the evolution of functional communities.
According to him, sports remained an essential tool for expression of solidarity, peace. sportsmanship and fair play, which are essential ingredients of a crime-free community.
“With community sports, we can transmit the all important core values of tolerance, accepting defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship and enshrining peace and safety in the community.
“You see, the Gold medals won by athletes do not just contain gold but they are symbols and proof of hard work, resilience and dedication of the winners.
“So, we need to take sports back to our various communities to seriously engage youths positively and utilize their youthful strength maximally.
“Stakeholders and multi-agencies need to invest in community sports to offer platforms of self discoveries of young fresh athletes, to fill in the yawning gap which has remained a source of worry and concern in communities.”
Amaraizu added that sports was a tool for employment opportunities, promotion of cultural values and means of enhancing education among the youths. (NAN)