November 01, (THEWILL) – In its avowed determination to host a glitch-free sporting fiesta, the Delta State government will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development before next year’s National Sports Festival, dubbed “Asaba 2022”.
Delta State is billed to host the biennial Sports fiesta and Team Delta is the reigning National Sports Festival champion, having won seven of the nine previous tournaments since 2000.
As THEWILL reported last month, the national sporting excellence of the state was confirmed after the state became the National Youth Games champion, having won all six editions since the competitions started in 2013.
Chief Tonobok Okowa, Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, announced that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sports Ministry would be signed soon.
“The facilities will be ready,” Okowa said of Delta State’s plans to build more new facilities ahead of the National Sports Festival.
After retaining the National Sports Festival title in Edo State, Okowa announced that the State Government’s focus had switched to planning and hosting one of the best games in the National Sports Festival’s history.
He revealed that Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was pleased with the state’s performance at the National Youth Games in Ilorin, and that the state is now ready to begin planning for the 2022 National Sports Festival.
Okowa stated that the contract for the new Olympic venues would be granted soon, emphasising that the majority of the infrastructure was already in place.
He expressed his belief that new facilities were required to ensure that the state lived up to its reputation as Nigeria’s sports capital.
On the Sports Ministry’s efforts to combat age cheating at the Youth Games, Okowa, who doubles as the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) praised Sunday Dare, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, for making the drive.
Okowa added that the Delta State Sports Commission has been at the forefront of preventing age cheating at the Games and will continue to do so while maintaining their reputation for sporting excellence in the country.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
