The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has stated that his administration plans to capitalize on the general acceptance of sports among citizens in order to enhance the state’s tourist sector.
On Saturday, Sanwo-Olu issued a statement captioned, ‘Ethiopian Nationals Win $60,000 First Prize in Lagos City Marathon, as Sanwo-Olu Races with Athletes.’
Speaking at the Lagos City Marathon, Sanwo-Olu pledged his government’s unflinching commitment to elevating the marathon to the rank of a platinum-labeled event in order to attract more participants outside of Africa.
This, according to the governor, will open up the state’s economy to more international investment and enhance tourism earnings for tourism operators.
The governor said the marathon embodied the spirit of Lagos, which teaches endurance, perseverance and resilience while toiling through physical strength.
He said: “One of the objectives of this event is to put Lagos on a global platform in the area of sport. Every year, new records are broken and the marathon gets bigger and better. As a government, we are fully committed to sustaining this noble initiative and leading from the front to ensure that all participants, especially, our youths, get the best from this event.
“The goal of the marathon is to use sport as a tool to promote physical fitness, togetherness, resilience and every virtue that can make human beings progress and live fulfilling life. This is the strongest rallying point for our youths and next edition would be better than what we have had this year.”
The marathon is an elite-labeled athletic fiesta held in second weekend in February of every year in Lagos and draws participation from local and international teams in the athletic ecosystem.