The Nasarawa State government has hailed Delta state for fulfilling its promise of hosting a historic National Sports Festival.
Ambassador Lucky Yargwa, Commissioner, Nasarawa State Ministry of Youth and Sport Development, said this at a press briefing held at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on Saturday.
Yargwa told Journalists that the facilities at the stadium “are wonderful. The coordination is welcoming, and the hostel accommodation, especially for my contingent members, is excellent.”
He commended the organizers of the Sports Festival, including the Delta State Government, the Federal Government and Partners for ensuring that this Event doesn’t only hold, but meets the required standard.
Yargwa, however, urged the organisers to stick to the rules and regulations guiding the competition and ensure that talents, irrespective of the State they come from, are discovered and nurtured to represent the country at international sports meet.
“Also, peaceful co-existence, love for one another and acceptance of social, cultural, religious and economic values should and must be preached, because that’s why the Sports Festival was established,” Yargwa added.
He said team Nasarawa came prepared to become among the top 10 highest medal-winning States, adding that their athletes and coaches were more than motivated to deliver results.
According to Yargwa, “Nobody is owed any dime. The State Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, made every necessary and adequate provision for each member of the contingent.”
He disclosed that the Governor of the state, His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, had graciously redeemed the sum of 16.5 million pledge he made to athletes who won medals at last year’s Sports Festival in Edo State.
“This is to further boost the morale of the athletes to redouble their efforts at this year’s edition of the Event.
“The Governor is a firm believer of hard work and graciously rewards excellence, no matter where it is coming from,” Yargwa said.
“As a Government, we prioritize the welfare of our people, and we will continue to improve it to meet acceptable global standard.
“We are deliberate in building sports infrastructure and supporting human resource development for optimum performance and healthy competition wherever we find ourselves,” he added.
He said, so far, Team Nasarawa has won three medals – one Silver from Para-Table Tennis and two coming from Taekwondo events(Poomsae Individual and Poomsae Team Event).
“Today, Team Nasarawa came to Asaba with the largest number of contingent, comprising 181 athletes, 33 coaches, 8 referees, 27 sports secretaries, 20 accompanying officials, 2 medical personnel and 6 security details.
“We are participating in 27 sporting events.
“In all of these sports, we are very confident of surpassing our previous medal records,” Yargwa said.
