5th National Youth Games: FCT Is Ready To Surpass Past Achievement - Dilichukwu

5th National Youth Games: FCT Is Ready To Surpass Past Achievement - Dilichukwu

By Niyi Busari

Director, Federal Capital Territory Sports Department, Chief Mrs. Dilichukwu Onyedinma has assured Nigerians particularly Abuja residents to expect the best from the athletes in the 2019 National Youth Games coming up in Ilorin, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

Dilichukwu while speaking exclusively with www.bsnsports.com.ng in her office in Abuja on Tuesday admitted that the close camping started late but remain confident that the athletes that will represent FCT will perform very well because they have been in open camp for few weeks.

"Nigerians particularly FCT residents should expect good performance from the athletes that will represent us in the 5th National Youth Games in Ilorin, even though we started camping too late." She told BSN Sports.

"We are hoping for the best and this is because our coaches and secretaries of sports associations have been up and doing. It is true that we are starting closing camp close late but we have been in open camp for a long time.

"So the athletes, coaches, secretaries and all the sports association chairmen are ready as well. The chairmen of different sports association are always around to check what the coaches and athletes re doing ahead of the competition. The essence of camping is to do the last trials and elimination. So by the end of this week we will be sure that we have the best athletes that will represent FCT.

Seeking to perform better than the previous years, she said FCT registered in 26 sports where the state has comparative advantage over other states.

"FCT registered and will participate in 26 sports where our strength lies though the total sports at the Games is 36.

Dilichukwu stressed the need to encourage the athletes through incentives, kitting and equipment.

"We should not forget that the game is for Under 15 and the athletes are all secondary students, so using money to entice these athletes at their tender is not encouraging at all, during the meeting of the Directors of sports, we concluded that encouragement and incentives are very good for these children but at this stage we want to do it in terms of equipment, kitting and other means.

"But now that money is involved in everything and parents are also fully involved in their participation because most parent did go with us to the venue and some 0aren't are even trading with children. So, there won't be anything wrong in giving money but we wont put money first because of their age.

"Every state is looking forward to better their last achievement and FCT is not exempted from such thinking. We will never want to go behind we will always like to perform better than what we have done in the previous year.

"To achieve better result than that of last year we have perfected all plans to defend the beach volleyball, in relay, track and field and in all sports where FCT won medals particularly the gold medals.

The Director of Sports in the nation's capital revealed why FCT have been winning the state with youngest athletes for the past 3 years and promised to continue winning the award.

"We have been winning the price of parading youngest team at the National Youth Games and this is easy for us to achieve because most of our athletes are from elite class and most of these parents are not interested in forging the age of their children. It is very easy to do such in other rural areas but not in a city like Abuja." She concluded.

In 2018, FCT won a total of 22 medals which comprises of 4 gold, 8 silver and 10 silver medals and were placed 11th on the medals table.