Basketball: Oyedeji camp attracts 400 kids across Nigeria
Olumide Oyedeji Basketball Camp that started on Monday August 21, continued Wednesday with over 400 kids across Nigeria in attendance. The weeklong event holds at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, between 9:00am and 4:00pm.
According to data analysis, participants within Lagos state account for over 300 participants at the camp. Twenty-five kids came from Ibadan, Oyo state; 25 participants from Osogbo, Osun state registered; 20 basketballers from Ijebu Ode, Ogun state; and 15 talents from Akure, Ondo state are participating in the camping exercise.
Others include five kids from Jos, Plateau state; six from Minna, Niger state; six from Awka, Anambra state; 10 from Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, alongside others from Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state.
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Fielding questions from journalists at the end of day three, Olumide Oyedeji, Founder of the OOYF, said the record number of participants validates the camp’s impact on the basketball landscape in Nigeria.
“We do not have reasons to complain about the number of participants across Nigeria. It shows that the camp is accepted nationwide. It is a blessing that many parents, kids, and coaches are ready to associate with what we do at the foundation.”
The former D’Tigers captain, who led the Nigeria senior basketball team to the 2015 Afrobasket trophy, said the number of participants is a testament to the progress made over the last 23 years.
The South West Zonal representative on the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) and third Vice President of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), while speaking on plans for the 2024 edition, said, “We would love to have a bigger space for future events because from what we saw this year, the attendance will annually be on the increase as many kids and their guardians are becoming aware of the game of basketball in Nigeria courtesy of the global influence of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Nigerian basketballers around the globe”.
The 23rd edition of the Olumide Oyedeji Basketball Camp ends on Friday. Over 25,000 kids have participated and benefitted from the camping exercise since its inception.