National Youth Games: Delta, Lagos With Largest Athletes As 6,000 Compete In 34 Games

National Youth Games: Delta, Lagos With Largest Athletes As 6,000 Compete In 34 Games

No fewer than 6,000 athletes from the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will be competing at the 2019 National Youth Games (NYG).

The 5th edition of the annual games which is scheduled to run from Saturday, September 7 to Tuesday, September 17, 2019 in Ilorin, Kwara, would showcase the registered athletes competing in 34 sporting events.

According to the Secretary Main Organizing Committee (MOC) for games, Emmanuel Okere, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja Tuesday, said the committee is ready to host a successful event, adding that it will provide opportunity for Nigeria to discover and groom its next crop of Olympics medalist.

“We are going to involve entertainment during the opening ceremony which goes in line with our mission to combine education, culture and sports together,” he said.

“The youth games age bracket has been changed from the 17 to 15 and we will be looking at vibrant youths coming to show their talents in different fields as we seek to groom next crop of Olympic medalist for the country.”

“We have also increased the number of sports from 25 to 34, we are also going to have large athletes this time because after our delegation meeting held September 1, we discovered that 6000 athletes have registered for the games”.

Okere noted that the games organisers are committed to tackling the menace of age cheats during the games, adding that experts will be on ground to screen all the athletes.

“We are serious about fighting against age cheat during the games, which is why we have dedicated September 9 to screen all the athletes with the help of some professionals before the commencement of the competition proper.”

“So far, Delta and Lagos state have the largest contingent coming to compete in the games, Zamfara state is yet to complete their registration but the governor told us that between now and the opening, they will complete their registration.”

“So far, Delta and Lagos state have the largest contingent coming to compete in the games, Zamfara state is yet to complete their registration but the governor told us that between now and the opening, they will complete their registration.”

“So far Delta and Lagos state have the larger contingent coming to compete for in the games, Zamfara state is yet to complete their registration but the governor called us about it, between now and opening they will complete their registration.”

Credit: Sportswaka