The 3rd Edition of Olabisi Onabanjo University Inter-Campus Games tagged “AISA GAMES 2019” was held between Tuesday, 6th and Friday, 9th August, 2019 at the University Sports Complex, Main Campus Ago-Iwoye. The annual games competition had a total of 291 accredited students participating in eleven sporting events that included Athletics, Badminton, Basket Ball, Chess, Football, Judo, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball and Scrabble.
Declaring the competition open, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde who was represented by the University Librarian, Dr. Adebambo Oduwole commended the Directorate of Sports for its efforts at making the 2019 edition a reality despite all odds. He remarked that Sports world-over, did not only play a major role in the character of individuals especially students, but offered a great career with its attendant benefits of keeping the body fit and healthy. The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged the great potentials of the participants from all campuses and said that their commitments were not only worthy of emulation but deserved further necessary support and encouragement. The University helmsman recalled that AISA Games Competition was an idea conceived some few years back as an avenue for interaction among students from all the Campuses of the University, which essentially had nothing to do with academics but sporting activities.
He added that participants should embrace the spirit of oneness and brotherhood across board and display spirit of sportsmanship during competitions between teams. He, thereafter, reiterated the plans of the University authority to commit a sum of N150,000,000.00 for an urgent intervention in the Sports sector of the University, especially, in the completion of the Sports Complex.
In his welcome address, the Chairman, OOU Sports Council, Professor Bamidele Badejo, who was full of appreciation to the Management of the University for its unflinching support and encouragement at all times, also thanked the members of the University Sports Council, and the Directorate of Sports under the leadership of the Acting Director, Mr. A. A. Makanjuola for their cooperation and commitment in the onerous task of making sporting activities more attractive to potential sports men and women on campus.
He stated that the AISA Games Competition would not only provide a good platform for students to interact freely among themselves, create friendship and fraternity that cut across campuses, but also provide avenue for the University to know that there was need to develop sporting activities on our campuses especially, as a means of identifying potential athletes which ultimately would project the name of the University, the State and the Country at large. Prof. Badejo recalled that most of the world renowned sportsmen and women were discovered at the early stages of their careers while in Colleges stating that Olabisi Onabanjo University could also produce legendary athletes that would promote the name of the University.
While acknowledging the challenge of paucity of fund in sponsoring and implementing most of the facilities required for sporting activities in the Directorate, the Sports Council Chairman admitted that the University could not fund sports alone, hence the extra efforts of the Directorate in identifying donors and sponsors from within and outside the University community to support the University Sporting projects and infrastructure like the Sports gallery and the sitting arena of the track and field games. Speaking further on the urgent need of the management to complement the efforts of the Directorate in identifying potential donors for the development of infrastructure for sporting activities in the complex, Prof. Badejo disclosed that the singular gesture of the Management team to develop some infrastructure through TETFund was not only encouraging to the Directorate but commendable.
In his own remarks, the Acting Director of Sports, Mr. A. A. Makanjuola at the close of the event appreciated the University Management and other sponsors for their support to the Sports Directorate towards the development of sporting activities within the University, especially, the 2019 AISA Games competitions. He added that the University Management under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde deserved immeasurable appreciation in providing the balance capital for the games. He, thereafter, applauded the participants for the general display of discipline throughout the duration of the games.
In his goodwill message to the sportsmen and women, a former international football superstar in the Nigeria Green Eagles Team of 1980, Mr. Yisa Sofoluwe congratulated the students for taking to sports as an alternative to indecent fraternities and acts of crimes. He stated that students should embrace Knowledge, Skill, and good Attitude in the course of their activities in the University, adding that only the right attitude would sustain the knowledge acquired from the University.
The highpoint of the 2019 Games Competition was the presentation of a total of 106 medals to the winners. While the Main Campus contingent emerged the overall winner of the competition with 60 medals (23 Gold, 22 Silver, and 15 Bronze), Ibogun Campus emerged 1st Runner-up with 15 Medals (05 Gold, 07 Silver, and 03 Bronze), Sagamu Campus, 2nd Runner-up with 12 Medals (04 Gold, 03 Silver, and 05 Bronze), while Ayetoro Campus contingent fought gallantly but emerged 4th overall winner with 19 Medals (01 Gold, 05 Silver, and 13 Bronze). It would be recalled that the AISA Games derived its name from the acronyms of the various towns housing the four campuses of the University namely: A – Ago-Iwoye, I – Ibogun, S – Sagamu, and A – Ayetoro with its maiden edition held in 2017 at Ago-Iwoye.
