NATIONAL YOUTH GAMES: TEAM AKWA IBOM ARRIVES ASABA

 

By Bassey Ibiatisuho

A total of 358 athletes and officials of Team Akwa Ibom have arrived Asaba, the Delta State capital for the 7th edition of the National Youth Games - NYG which officially begins today at the Stephen Keshi Stadium.

The Team qualified for all six male category team sports at the zonal elimination, including Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Basketball, Football, Cricket and Baseball, and is set to compete in 28 out of the 34 scoring events in the 2023 edition.

Confirming the Team's arrival and successful screening, the Director of Sports, Akwa Ibom state Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Elder Ifiok Duff, thanked the state Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for supporting the team to participate in the festival despite the prevalent economic hardship that the country is currently grappling with and attributed the team’s successful qualification and arrival to the effective supervision of the Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Sir Monday Uko, as well as the hard work and commitment of the athletes, coaches and staff of the ministry.

He promised that the athletes will be good ambassadors of the state by conducting themselves properly and also giving their best in winning laurels for the state at the festival.

Team Akwa Ibom finished 11th on the medals table in the last edition of the festival in 2021, with 5 Gold, 6 Silver and 7 Bronze medals. This, the Director of Sports assured would be improved upon.

National Youth Games are a multi-sport event organized by the Federal Government for athletes who are under the age of 15 from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory with Team Delta, which won the 2021 edition in Ilorin, the defending champion.