With two days of competition remaining at the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival in Ogun State, defending champions Team Delta look set to win its ninth title.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, Team Delta has won the National Sports Festival title eight times in ten appearances. Delta, the ‘Bride of South-south,’ also known as the ‘Big Heart,’ is looking good to add the winning title of this 22nd edition in Ogun State to its kitty, having widened the gap on the medals table as at the close of events on Tuesday night.
The official medals table released late last night revealed that Team Delta has 92 gold, 59 silver, and 75 bronze medals, but an official at the collation centre told The Guardian Wednesday morning that Delta’s gold medal haul is above 100.
However, there seems to be an interesting race between the host, Ogun State, and Team Bayelsa in the battle for the second position.
Though the official medal table released late on Tuesday night showed that Team Bayelsa is second with 64 gold, 42 silver, and 49 bronze, with Ogun in third place with 53 gold, 44 silver, and 52 bronze.
Team Ogun harvested a lot of medals on Tuesday night, including Scrabble, where they emerged overall winners with eight medals, consisting of four gold, three silver, and one bronze.
The Prince Dapo Abiodun team won three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the Singles and Doubles events. Their efforts yielded an additional gold in the Intermediate category through the efforts of African Youth champion David Ojih and Hakeem Ogundokun.
And just days after a team from Ogun State, Remo Stars, emerged Nigeria’s Premier Football League champions, Team Ogun won the Men’s football event, beating Team Kwara by 4-1 in the final watched by the largest crowd ever recorded at the recently upgraded MKO Abiola Sports Arena. Team IJA (National U17 Boys) clinched the football bronze medals after defeating Team Kaduna 2-0 in the third-place match played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on Tuesday.
Just before the men’s football final, Team Delta women football team won the gold medal, beating the Invited Junior Athletes Team IJA (National U17 Boys) 5-4 in a penalty shootout at the MKO Abiola stadium Abeokuta.
The match ended goalless after 90 minutes and went straight into the penalty shootout, where Delta goalkeeper, Favour Oparanyanwu, was the heroine, saving two penalty kicks.
The Chairman of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, who is also the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), told The Guardian that he was impressed with the level of competition so far at the Gateway Games.
“Team Delta has shown how sports is a culture for the people, and I congratulate them for their impending victory here in Ogun. For Team Ogun and Team Bayelsa, I wish them all the best in whoever emerges second in this National Sports Festival. We are watching,” Olopade said in a telephone conversation Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of Delta Sports Commission, Hon Onoriode Oborevwori, has praised Team Delta athletes and officials for their exceptional commitment, discipline, and determination, which have kept the State firmly in the lead as the competition enters its closing stages.
“The athletes have demonstrated true Delta excellence,” he said. “Their courage, consistency, and dedication are unmatched, and they have once again proven why Delta is the team to beat at the National Sports Festival.”
He disclosed that the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, will personally lead the state’s contingent back home with the overall trophy, expressing confidence that the hard work of the athletes and officials produced the desired result.
Also speaking, the immediate Director General of Delta Sports Commission, Festus Ohwojero, said: “When the gold medal chase began, and Team Bayelsa was ahead for about four days, a lot of people expressed concern. But I told them to relax because Team Delta has its area of strength in the National Sports Festival. Thank God we are coasting home to victory. But this celebration would not be possible without the moral and financial support from our sports-loving Governor,” Ohwojero told The Guardian Wednesday morning.
