The minister of sports development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has stressed the need for better proper welfare packages and insurance coverage for athletes to assist them perform at optimal levels.
He said without the athletes, there would be no need for sports, consequently, it’s important to assist them compete in the best conditions possible.
“Welfare for athletes and insurance schemes rank amongst my priorities for sports in the country, because the very essence of sports are the Athletes primarily,” Enoh said.
“We are going to work to the best of our abilities to ensure we provide our athletes with welfare packages and insurance coverage that will catalyze their ability to perform. It’s not right for athletes to be owed and we want to bring a change to how they are treated and managed.”
The minister expressed concerns about the state of health of retired sportsmen, stating that proper planning and long lasting policies are needed to stem the tide of ill heath amongst retired athletes.
“We are concerned about the state of health of our heroes past. We don’t want them to suffer health consequences in their retirement. We will look at innovative, and long lasting solutions to solve this problem.”
Senator Enoh has asked all sports federations to send a comprehensive report on their activities within a fortnight, before he will schedule a meeting to discuss prospective objectives, and targets for the federations.