NYG 2024: Kwara and Abia in Asaba to sweep medals

Kwara contingents to the 8th National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, comprising 144 athletes, 25 coaches, and 61 officials are expected to depart Ilorin on Monday for the Games.

The athletes will compete in 24 sports events, which are athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, chess, cricket, cycling, darts, deaf athletics, fives, golf, judo, karate, para-athletics, para-table tennis, and rugby.

Others are scrabble, squash, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and taekwondo.

The National Youth Games has been scheduled to be held between September 9th to September 19th, 2024, in Asaba, Delta State.

Briefing newsmen on Saturday in Ilorin, the Executive Chairman of the State Sports Commission, Bolakale Adisa Magaji said that the athletes and the events to be competed for were carefully selected after a closed and open camping.

Recalling that the state came 5th in the last edition, Magaji said that the Games will not be for a jamboree, as he pledged that the athletes will make the state proud in Asaba.

“The athletes should see this as an honour to represent their state, and therefore, I am urging them to be good ambassadors of the state before, during, and after the Games.

“As a way of motivating the athletes, on my own, I am pledged a reward of instant N10,000 for gold medalists in Asaba, and N7,000 and N5, 000 respectively, to silver and bronze medalists.

Elsewhere, a total of 259 athletes and officials from Abia State will depart Umuahia on Tuesday for the 8th National Youth Games held in Asaba, Delta State.

Abia will participate in 28 out of 36 approved sports for this year’s Under 15 National Youth Games, which will be held from 9th to 19th September.

Speaking to journalists over the weekend on the State’s plans, Abia State Director of Sports, Obioma George said that with the State competing in 28 out of 36 different sports and with the high level of preparation and equipping of athletes and officials, they will return from the National Youth Games in flying colours.

He said that there was wild celebration in the State following the sterling performance recorded in the Paris 2024 Paralympics by two athletes of Abia State origin, Onyinyechi Mark and Esther Nworgu, who won gold and silver medals in powerlifting, respectively where Onyinyechi Mark also set a new world record of 150kg.

The Abia State director of Sports Obioma George promised that the State team for Asaba will produce better results than their 2023 outing.

Obioma thanked Governor Alex Otti for providing the necessary funding for sports in the State and the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Nwaobilor Ananaba for making Abia reclaim its lost place in sports.