Team Bayelsa has emerged as the overall champion of the first edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival, edging out sports powerhouses Delta and Edo in a thrilling medal race that went down to the wire in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Bayelsa athletes put on an impressive performance across multiple events to top the medal table with 42 gold medals—just one more than Delta State, who finished with 41 – 29 silver and 15 bronze medals, bringing their medal haul to 86.
Despite finishing with the highest total medals at 99, Delta State had to settle for second place with 41 gold, 26 silver, and 32 bronze medals.
Edo State came in third with 89 medals (23 gold, 35 silver, and 31 bronze), closely trailing the top two.
Rivers State finished fourth with 63 medals, including 21 gold. Ondo State claimed fifth place with 43 medals, followed by the host state, Akwa Ibom, in sixth with 37 medals.
Abia State ended in seventh place with 32 medals, while Imo placed eighth with 42 medals but fewer gold. Cross River State came ninth with 31 medals.
Chairman of the Main Organising Committee of the festival, Boma Iyaye, said the event has been recommended to be a biennial.
“This festival has provided an opportunity for bonding among youths of our region, memories that they will carry all their lives. We are happy at NDDC to have made this platform available,” Iyaye said.
“We have received commendations from all over the country and the MOC decided to recommend to the NDDC board that this festival should be held every two years.”
The week-long festival, which brought together over 3,000 athletes from the nine Niger Delta states in 17 sports, was sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
