Sports
Ikpoba-Oka LG Emerges Winners Of Edo Sports Festival
Ikpoba-Oka Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo at the weekend in Benin emerged winners of the just-concluded Edo State Sports Festival with 100 gold medals.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the competition, which was its third edition, Edo’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, thanked all the 18 LGAs which participated in the competition.
“This festival was also used to select athletes that will represent the state at the 20th National Sports Festival tagged `Edo 2020’.
“There were lots of surprises during this competition, and that is what we expected. We are going to see new athletes at the National Sports Festival.
“For us, this is the beginning of the return of sports to the native land which is Edo, and just as Governor Godwin Obaseki said at the opening ceremony, this event has become an annual event.
“The era where Nigeria uses calculator to calculate qualifications are over. Edo and Delta State are back and Nigeria now will be winning at world games as it used to be,’’ he said.
The deputy governor assured that the state government would keep in touch with all the participants in the competition.
Tidesports source reports that Owan West LGA clinched 74 gold medals while Egor LGA won 64 gold medals.
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”