Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Temple Sports Management Company, Idris Olorunnibe, has revealed that more corporate bodies are not involved in sponsoring sports and athletes in Nigeria because they are eager to make fast money after investing little money on a particular project.
Olorunnibe said that Nigeria would continue to witness setbacks incorporate sports sponsorship if adequate measures are not put in place to enlighten relevant companies that are interested in sports development.
According to him, a lot of patience and risk management have to be implored when investing money in a particular sport or athlete.
He also emphasised the need for government at all levels to assist raise more awareness in sports, saying that it would go a long way to making the lesser sports popular at the grassroots level.
The Temple Sports Management Company boss, however, enjoined youths interested in sports to continue to train hard, adding that hard work and determination to succeed is the hallmark of a successful sportsman or woman.
“Sports is big business in the world today. The major reason why more corporate bodies are not keen on investing their money in sports is that it takes a long time to make gain from the investment. A businessman’s target is to make quick money, which is not possible in sports. Sports is a long-time investment. If a company is interested in sponsoring a talent at the grassroots level, the company has to nurture the athlete for so many years before getting investment back,” he said.
Speaking further, Olorunnibe said: “This also implies to investing in a particular sport. A company will rather put their money in football where there is high followership than a sport which is not popular.
“For more corporate bodies to be involved in sports development in Nigeria, a well-tailored programme has to be put in place to attract sponsors. This should involve creating more awareness especially on the lesser sports,” he stated.
