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Tag 5th National Youth Games

Sport

NYG: Rivers official attributes team’s poor performance to late arrival for games

Team Rivers
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 16, 2019 (NAN) The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Rivers State Sports Council (RSSC), Christopher Chioma, has attributed Team Rivers’ unimpressive performance at the ongoing National Youth Games (NYG) to their late arrival.

He however said the most important thing now was that the state contingent finally attended the competition to avert the fine of N10 million.

Chioma told newsmen on Sunday in Ilorin that before their arrival most of the events had already taken place.

“But the athletes competed favourably in the remaining events of the game which they met.

“Team Rivers’ late arrival to Ilorin actually affected the state adversely on the medals table, because before our arrival most of the events had already taken place.

“But be that as it may, I can say that our athletes are competing favourably in the remaining events, in spite of the fact that we came late,” Chioma said.

Chioma who was also the Festival Secretary of the State’s Sports Council, said what also worked against Team Rivers was the screening out of some of their athletes.

He used the opportunity to commend the governor of their state, Nyesom Wike, for making sure the state attended the games.(NAN)
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(Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

NYG: Official commends Team Delta wrestlers’ performance in spite of failure to win gold medals

Commendation
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, Sept. 15, 2019 (NAN) The Chairman of the Delta State Wrestling Association, Preye Ekpebide, on Sunday commended his athletes for their performance at the ongoing 5th National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

His commendation has come in spite of the athletes’ failure to win gold medals at the event.

Ekpebide told newsmen that the athletes were new to the sport and expressed the belief that they would perform better in the next edition by surpassing the feat of winning bronze medal.

He said the association would work with the athletes to ensure they became better wrestlers.

“The association has already concluded plans to improve on the performance of the athletes ahead of the next edition of the NYG in 2020,” the chairman said.

Ekpebide however commended Team Delta as a whole and the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, for making Deltans proud.

“They have shown that the state remains the dominant force in Nigerian sports.”

He also lauded Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta for investing in sports in the state.

“The results being achieved at the NYG are a clear indication that the state’s investment in the sector was already yielding results,” Ekpebide pointed out.

He enjoined Gov. Okowa not to relent because sports was not only a huge employment platform but also a bridge-builder and a unifying factor.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Delta is as at Sunday noon leading the Games’ medals table with 73 medals, comprising 30 gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze.(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

5th NYG: Lagos beat Delta in male football final

Football
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 13, 2019 (NAN) Team Lagos on Friday defeated their Delta counterparts 1-0 to win the gold medal in the male football event at the ongoing National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

Hassan Haruna’s 33rd minute strike was all Lagos needed to win the competition’s final match as the state dominated the football event at the Games.

The Lagos side dominated most of the proceedings, thanks to the huge support they received from their fans who cheered them with drumming and singing from the beginning to the end.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Edo defeated Kano State 1-0 to clinch the bronze medal in the third-place match played earlier.

Lagos had defeated Edo 2-1 in the semi-final played earlier on Friday while Delta beat Kano State 1-0 in the other semi-final match.(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

NYG: Kaduna male hockey team beat Nasarawa 6-1, female counterparts draw goalless with Delta

NYG
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 13, 2019 (NAN) Team Kaduna on Thursday trounced their Nasarawa State counterparts 6-1 in male hockey at the ongoing National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

Their female counterparts however played a goalless draw with their Delta opponents.

Secretary of the Kaduna State Hockey Association, Yusuf Abdullahi, said the coast was not yet clear for them as the hockey competition at the Games is a round-robin affair.

“Our two teams are doing well, with the female winning one and drawing two, while the male are yet to lose and they will battle Ekiti in their third match” Abdullahi said.

Team Kaduna’s football team were, howver, no match for their Edo counterparts in a quarter-final fixture as they lost 0-3.

The football coach of Team Kaduna at the Games, Nasiru Chiji, attributed their loss to Edo to the screening out of seven of his players due to overage.

Team Kaduna were left with no option other than to use the available players.

They have however launched a protest against two of their opponents players for not being properly registered.(NAN)
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(Edited Shuaib Sadiq and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

5th NYG: Team Delta through to male football semi-finals

Football
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 12, 2019 (NAN) Hassan Bashiru’s brace was enough for the male football team of Delta on Thursday to advance to the semi-finals at the ongoing 5th National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

It helped Delta to beat their Gombe State counterparts 2-0 in the quarter-finals to progress to the semi-finals in an encounter they thoroughly dominated.

Speaking after the match, Onigbe Felix, the Delta team coach, said his players performed excellently albeit with some lapses which would be corrected before the next game.

“Our players, to some extent, played to instructions, although with little mistakes that are bound to happen and which we are going to work on before the next game,’’ he said.

Felix expressed the belief that his players are on top of their game and on course to earn a medal.

He however did not fail to acknowledge that they have been having divine support since the beginning of the competition.

Team Delta will now slug it out on Friday with their Kano counterparts in the semi-finals of the event.(NAN)
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(Edited by Abiodun Esan and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

National Anti-Doping Committee lectures NYG athletes on dangers of doping

Doping
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, Sept. 12, 2019 (NAN) Officials of the National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) on Thursday in Ilorin gave a talk on the dangers associated with doping to athletes at the ongoing National Youth Games (NYG).

Fadeke Fadeyi, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of NADC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the lecture was to ensure that athletes had an understanding of what constitutes doping.

“This is information and education activity for the children at the NYG for them to understand what doping is.

“We want them at this age to imbibe the culture of a dope-free sports and to know that using drugs is not the right attitude in sports.

“And that, as they begin to advance and chose a career in sports, they have to know all these things,” Fadeyi said.

She added that the urine samples of some athletes had been taken already, to be tested at the accredited laboratory.

“We cannot state the status of the athletes we took samples from for testing, because we will have to send the samples for analysis which won’t be done in Nigeria’’.

Fadeyi however noted that penalties would be handed down to any athlete found guilty and anyone found to be an influencer on the athlete.

“For an under-15 to have an understanding of the drugs we are talking about, it means he has been influenced by somebody.

“So, the penalties will be stiffer for whoever is found to be an influencer, while there will also be penalties for the athlete for him to know it is not good.

“They will be banned for some years. But this will all be subjected to investigation on the type of drugs used and the circumstances under which it was used,” she said.

NAN reports that the NYG, which is in its fifth edition, has over 4,000 athletes from 30 states competing for medals.(NAN)
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(Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

5th NYG: Plateau win in cycling for their first gold medal

Plateau
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 12, 2019 (NAN) Plateau won their first gold medal on Thursday from the cycling event at the ongoing 5th National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that John Emmanuel won in the 10 kilometres individual time trial.

Emmanuel returned a time of 15 minutes 51.28 seconds.

Another athlete from the state, Anita Ayuba also won the silver medal in the female category of the same event and distance.

She recorded a time of 19 mins 0.54 secs to achieve the feat.

Meanwhile, Lagos state has displaced the FCT on the medals table.

According to the table released on Thursday by 12:19 p.m, Lagos have gathered five gold and 10 silver medals to lead the table.

Delta have four gold, two silver and two bronze medals for the second position, while FCT dropped to the third position with four gold, two silver and two bronze medals also.

Edo were occupying the fourth position with four gold, two silver and one bronze medals, with Team Ogun having four gold and one bronze medals in fifth place.

Akwa Ibom were placed sixth with three gold and one bronze medals, while Ondo and Ekiti states have one gold medal each to occupy the seventh and eighth positions respectively.

However, Ondo have four silver and five bronze medals to be better than Ekiti who have two silver medals.

NAN reports that competition at the Games entered Day 6 on Thursday.(NAN)
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(Edited by Nick Nicholas and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

5th NYG: Onatola wins first medal for Kwara

Kwara
By Olayinka Owolewa
Ilorin, Sept. 12, 2019 (NAN) Team Kwara on Thursday won their first medal at the ongoing fifth edition of the National Youth Games (NYG) holding at the University of Ilorin Sports Complex.

Oluwadamilola Onatola won a silver medal for the state, after coming second in the 301 Darts female category following a loss to Delta’s Taiye Olawale in the final.

The duo of Precious Alaegbu and Wilfred Onukwaga of Imo finishing in the third position.

After the event, Onatola said she was expectedly excited and was grateful to her coach for putting her in good stead.

“I am very excited to have won the silver medal, as I didn’t expect to come this far in the tournament. But I am hoping to win at bigger competitions.

“I want to thank my coach (Tope Fatoye) for assisting me well with good counselling, and I also want to thank my parents for permitting me to participate in the games.” Onatola said.

Fatoye on his part said his aim was for Onatola to win the gold medal, adding that he was however still thankful to God that she did not finish empty-handed.

“We thank God for the achievement. The match was not easy because the game of Darts deals with calculation and focus,’’ he said.(NAN)
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(Edited by Dorcas Jonah and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

We will still be happy if we don’t win any NYG medal, Akwa Ibom official says

Medal
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
Ilorin, Sept. 12, 2019 (NAN) Paul Bassey, an Akwa Ibom state government official, says winning or not winning medals is not a problem for the state’s contingent to the ongoing 5th National Youth Games (NYG).

Bassey, the Special Assistant on Sports to Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, said on Thursday in Ilorin that discovery of new athletes was rather their target.

“We will still be happy if we win no medal by the end of the Games. Our target here is not to win medals but to discover athletes for the state,’’ he told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Bassey said they were more concerned with the state’s youths being exposed and to be nurtured into stardom later by the state.

“We really do not have a target here in Ilorin, and by that I mean in terms of winning medals. But I thank our state governor for the opportunity given to the youths since he came on board.

“He has emphasised the need for grassroots development, because those of us who are old enough to know what happened 20 to 30 years ago knew that Nigeria had stars in all spheres.

“But now, during international competitions one hardly hears about Nigeria.

“So, he (Udom) has laid emphasis on youths and sports development, and this is what led to the State Sports Festival which we hold every year,’’ he said.

Bassey pointed out that making an appearance at the Games in Ilorin was itself a big opportunity.

“For us to come here, first of all, we have exposed the youths, and then we can nurture them afterwards.

“What I am saying now is that even if we don’t win a gold, silver or bronze at the end of the games, we are still happy because the youths that we brought here would have learnt something.

“Then after the whole thing, we will have so much back home to develop them on,” the former sports journalist said.

He however did not fail to point out out that they were still going to pose some challenge to other athletes from other states.

“Nonetheless, Team Akwa Ibom are here (in Ilorin) to compete and also discover athletes to be nurtured.

`We are here to compete in the spirit of competition and secondly to see how we can help to produce golden athletes that would in the next five or six years represent this country in international competitions.’’

Bassey disclosed that the state had put in place a number of post-Games programmes for the athletes.

“We have post-Games programmes for them, since they are in schools. We bring them together during holidays to train them.

“Now, we have three athletes who are on scholarship, schooling in the U.S. That’s developmental on its own.

“So, we track them and also develop the coaches so that they will be well trained.

“There is no youth that will win here or at the state sports festival that we won’t be encouraged to train.

“We are not all meant to be doctors or professors. Some will feed through sports, and the state has to support them,’’ he said.

NAN reports that Akwa Ibom placed fifth on the medals table at the end of the Games’ fourth edition held in 2018.(NAN)
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(Edited by Gregg Mmaduakolam and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

National Youth Games: Team Lagos storm Ilorin with 248 athletes

Games
By Olanrewaju Akojede
Lagos, Sept. 7, 2019 (NAN) The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) on Saturday said the state’s contingent of 248 athletes have arrived in Ilorin for the 2019 National Youth Games (NYG) battle-ready and full of hopes.

Titi Oshodi, the LSSC Director of Media, disclosed in a statement in Lagos that Team Lagos athletes arrived on Friday fully ready for their participation in the Games’ fifth edition.

“The contingent comprising 248 athletes, coaches, Association secretaries and other officials departed Lagos on Friday and arrived safely at their various accommodation points in the University of Ilorin Hostels.

“Participating at the NYG for the second consecutive year, Team Lagos will compete in 33 individual and team sports events with the hope to better their overall second place position last year,” she said.

Oshodi, in the statement, also quoted the LSSC Director-General, Oluwatoyin Gafaar, as charging the athletes to give their best.

While speaking with the athletes, Gafaar said that the state government was however not expecting them to win at all cost for the state.

“Our expectations are for you to continue the progress made in the development of athletes from the grassroots with necessary exposure and support.

“Learn to work hard and pray. If you train hard, prayers will speed up the process.

“We’ve done all that is necessary for us to excel at the Games with the permission of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu who gave us moral and financial support.

“All that is expected of us is to make the state proud and I believe that at the end of Games, we will all be proud of ourselves,” he said.

Also, the LSSC Chairman, Kweku Tandoh, encouraged the athletes and officials to reflect excellence on and off the field, stating that the state would not tolerate any act of indiscipline.

“Lagos is the Centre of Excellence and that’s what we should portray at the Games in Ilorin. For us, it is a total picture.

“I want people to see us and say those athletes from Lagos are well behaved and very disciplined. We don’t want officials fighting or confronting referees.

“If we have issues regarding officiating, we will address them appropriately without confrontation. We will compete fair and I’m sure we will have reasons to celebrate all of you at the end of the Games,” he said.(NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)