With Nigeria continually benefitting from its participation at the World Football Summit in Seville, Spain, an offer from the Government of Sri Lanka to partner Nigeria in the development of Cricket and Hockey represents the latest silver lining for the nation.
This development represents a double swoop for the country, as Barca Innovation Hub also registered its readiness to partner with Nigeria in the areas of football education and training.
Nigeria’s delegation at the World Football Summit, led by the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh had fruitful engagements with Sri Lankan Government officials, who revealed their desire to offer technical support for the growth of sports, especially cricket and hockey in Nigeria.
Sri Lanka has steadily ranked amongst the top nations in cricket globally, since 1965, when it joined the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The South-Asian nation was ICC World Cup champions in 1996 and emerged as runners-up in 2007 and 2011. In the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka were champions in 2014 and finished runners-up in 2009 and 2002. The nation sits in history as six-time champions of Asia, 2002 Asian Test winners and gold medalists in cricket during the 2014 Asian Games.
Furthermore, Barca Innovation Hub, a sports innovation and education outfit owned and operated by La Liga giants, FC Barcelona expressed its readiness to partner with Nigeria through its football federation. The Hub is known for its expertise in coaching education, sports nutrition, sports analytics, sports business, and science, as well as related technology and innovation.
Senator Enoh said Nigeria is excited about the prospects of these collaborations, which are part of the outcomes of the country’s participation in one of the football showpiece gatherings in Spain.
He said the Ministry will keenly pursue the dividends of these meetings, with measurable deliverables placed on specific timelines.