Boost Nigerian tourism through sports-Stakeholders

By Femi Atolagbe
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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ooni of Ife Global Outreach, Dr Ayobami Oyedare, has advised Nigerians to promote their tourism potential through local and international sporting activities.

 Oyedare said that this was an area that would attract national and international spectators and investors without limit.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that through such partnership, Nigerians would be able to narrate their stories in positive ways before other nationals they would come across.

He commended the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi,who in partnership with Cape Verde, a republic in Northwest Coast of Africa, accepted promote Nigerian tourism through sports.

Oyedare said, “We want to tell our own stories to the international community through sports because we have so many positive stories to tell about our country.

” Since sports has a very strong influence in the world, so we want to tap from it.

” We have decided to select African Beach Games and African Heavyweight championships as platforms to promote lthe richness of African tourism,” he said.

He told NAN that the two sports would help identify, build and promote immense “hidden talents” of young Africans that would turn into goldmine on the world stage.

” The sporting project will be at the front burner of promoting African culture and heritage by telling African stories through various spectrums.

” Both events will serve as new the sport and economic space which are intended to attract new brand of Foreign Direct Investors (FDI), Global Corporate Institutions (GCI) and royalties,” he said.

According to one of the partners, Saulo Montrond, the CEO of Green Studios, the project titled : Sal 2019, will feature African Beach Games, a continental multi-sport event which will be holding among athletes from Africa.

He said that the games would be organised under the supervision of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

“The first sporting events will hold on the Island of Sal, Cape Verde from June 14 to June 23, 2019,” he said.

” The first event was hosted in December 2017 in Cape Verde and was streamed live to over 80 million households across Europe and the US,” he said.

He said that with the royal blessings of the Ooni of Ife in partnership with the Ooni of Ife Global Outreach (OIGO), the second edition would be staged in Nigeria in August.

Similarly, Prince Adebolu Ademiluyi, a stakeholder in the event, told NAN that the project was meant to boost a sustainable value chain for sporting activities through marketing, production, and broadcasting.