Benue, Delta arrive with largest contingents for maiden National Youth Games

Premium Times

Benue and Delta States arrived with the largest contingents as the maiden National Youth Games, NYG, gets underway at the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

The two states have about 200 athletes and officials each, with no fewer than 31 states already in town so far for the event organised by the National Sports Commission, NSC. The event is scheduled for between December 6 and 14, 2013, with Enugu, Kebbi and Yobe coming with the lowest contingent of 48, 57 and 59 respectively.

The states already in camp include Borno, Kebbi, Kano, Akwa Ibom, FCT, Abia, Imo, Delta, Taraba, Enugu, Bayelsa, Osun, Kwara, Benue, Cross River, Rivers, Oyo, Anambra and Bauchi.

Others are Ebonyi, Kogi, Yobe, Plateau, Gombe, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Ogun, Ondo and Katsina, Lagos, Edo, Adamawa, Zamfara, Ekiti, and Jigawa State.

The competition is scheduled to be declared open officially on Sunday, with a football match by 4 p.m., while technical meetings would commence on the same day.

A visit to the athletes’ camp in Kubwa on Saturday morning showed that various state contingents were seen eating their breakfast, while others were collecting their meal tickets.

Other forms of business are gearing up preparatory to the commencement of the sports event, with more than 15 caterers positioning themselves at the makeshift cafeteria to serve the athletes, officials, volunteers and stewards.

A welfare subcommittee member of the Local Organising Committee, LOC, Shammah Aliu, said no fewer than 40 caterers were hired to cook for the athletes and officials.

He said the caterers were kept in different locations, including the second athletes camp located in Soaka, FCT and managed by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

An ambulance from the NSC was also seen stationed in the camp, while states like Niger, Bayelsa, Anambra and Imo came with their ambulances to complement that of the NSC.

A combined team of security personnel including Police, Civil Defence Corps, road safety corps and private security guards were seen patrolling the camp.

The security coordinator in the camp, Bridget Galadima, said 40 police officers would be deployed to man security at the camp for the next seven days. She said the police would also be working with civil defence corps officials, road safety corps officials and others.

“There is no problem about security, the camp is peaceful,” Mr. Galadima said, adding that the police would adopt the stop-and-search approach from Sunday so as to stop unwanted persons from gaining access into the camp.

The Chaperon of Delta contingents, Dorcas Oburumu, said things were working well, adding that she was still observing the developments as it was too early to analyse events.

Some of the athletes, who bore their expectations of the game, said the important thing was for them to do well for their states in the various sporting events registered.

An athlete representing Kano said “Kano Pillars is the defending champion of the Nigeria Premier League; the athletes here want to do well like Pillars players. We came here in Kano Pillars’ bus and I hope it will motivate us to win.”

About 224 technical officials, 24 competition stewards, 115 medical staff and 50 volunteers are engaged by the LOC to take care of the athletes during the games. Screening of the athletes to ascertain their true age and school commenced on Saturday.

Fourteen sports, including football, boxing, taekwondo, handball, volleyball, badminton, among others, would be competed for at the games.

(NAN)