Joseph Isokpehi Reporting
Hosts Delta State have successfully retained their National Sports Festival crown, winning the silverware for a record 7th time.
After 12 days of intense contest among the 36 States in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Delta confirmed their status as the number one in Sports in the country at the 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba tagged “Delta 2022”.
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Team Delta topped the overall medals table with a haul of 648 medals comprising 320 gold, 200 Silver, and 128 bronze medals, while team Bayelsa dethroned Edo to finish second with a total of 337 medals, 132 gold, 115 silver, and 90 bronze, the highest number of medals won in the history of the state.
Edo were a distant third amassing 339 medals: 78 gold, 94 silver, and 167 bronze. Oyo State came 4th with 163 medals: 50 gold, 51 Silver, and 62 bronze, as Lagos finished 5th with 172 medals, 41 gold, 57 Silver, and 74 bronze. Rivers, Kano, Ogun, and FCT all occupied the 6th to 10th position.
Zamfara finished bottom with no medal, as Gombe recorded 6 bronze, and Sokoto got 3 medals: 1 silver, 2 bronze.
Popular Delta State-born musician, Erhiga Agarivbie known as Erigga and Zlatan literally set the place on ‘fire’ with some of their popular songs.
Declaring the Unity Games closed, President Muhammadu Buhari represented by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare congratulated Delta for emerging overall winners of the 21st edition of the festival, pointing out that the competition in Asaba in the last 12 days had proven that Sports remain unifier of youths in the country.
President Buhari while condoling with the family of Imo state boxer Chukwuemeka Igboanugo who passed on during the fiesta, noted that the power of sports was fully activated during the national sports festival because participants set aside ethnic and religious orientation to compete.
He charged all the athletes who won medals in the just concluded 21st National Sports Festival to work hard to represent Nigeria and win medals at the Olympic Games in Paris, France in 2024.
He emphasized the need for the States in Nigeria to invest in sports development and infrastructure.
In an address, Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa represented by his deputy governor Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, commended all the athletes who took part in the National Sports Festival describing them as heroes and heroines.
He also praised the efforts of Delta State for maintaining the standard and retaining the festival title for the 7th time in a row, appreciating Team Bayelsa for the good spirit they put up during the spectacle.
In an interview, an athlete Ayomide Powei, told Truth Live News that she was happy to see Team Bayelsa finish second for the first time, assuring Bayelsans of a better outing in the next sports festival in Ogun State.
Ogun State was officially announced as the host of the 22nd National Sports Festival in 2024 as neighboring Oyo State is on standby.