The Lagos State Sports Council has taken a decisive step to stop the poaching of its athletes by making them undergo screening exercise and signing of undertaking.Before now, Lagos lost many athletes to other states during sports competitions like the National Sports Festival. Their inability to employ them was largely responsible. But they appear to be changing now.

Lagos athletes have been in camp and the state sports council cashed on the payment of their allowances to commit them to sign undertaking to remain Lagos athletes. But it also follows that the state was yet to employ them. While receiving their allowance on Tuesday, the athletes were asked to sign an undertaking that read in part: "being an athlete of Lagos State Government for the 16th National Sports Festival Kaduna 2009, admits to collecting this training allowance as undertaking and commitment to represent Lagos in this festival and will be an athlete without representing any other state."

Explaining the rationale for the exercise , the chairman of the State Sports Council, Barrister Yomi Dada stated that it was to ensure that the athletes they trained and paid allowances would not be poached by other states for the festival.The screening exercise was coordinated by the technical committee of the council headed by Tunde Fatayi_William.