Date: 2019-09-14

Niger state Director of Sport, Alh. Baba Sheshi Katcha has assured sports loving Nigerlites that the state is hopeful of winning medals at the National Youth Games (NYG), currently going on at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

The Director who Stated this while reacting to the not too impressive performance of the state contingent after day six of the ongoing fifth edition of NYG, said that the state paraded the right age athletes and with time the state will reap the efforts been put towards grooming them.

He said although in some quarters winning medals at the Youth Games is the ultimate but to the state developing the young talents for future engagements is the priority for now, adding that he is satisfied with the caliber of athletes paraded by the state.

The Director also lamented that most of the states paraded overage athletes and there was no proper screening of athletes before the commencement of the games and the state young athletes had to compete with them.

"We came with the right age athletes and that is why non of our athlete is screen out for being overage, unlike in the last edition where we have almost half of our athletes been screened out. This time around we came with the right age and am happy with the performance of most of these young talents," said the Director.

He said the states athletes who were mostly between 12 and 14 years are assets to the state and with the experience they have gathered this year, the state will harvest medals in the subsequent edition of the NYG when they reach 15 years.

Alh. Baba Sheshi also said that all hope of winning more medals is not lost as there are other events that were yet to commence which the state is hopeful of winning medals, specifically mentioning Chess and Scrabble.

While appreciating the state Governor, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello for given the state the opportunity to be part of the fifth edition of the NYG, he also appreciated sports loving Nigerlites for their concerns over the inability of the state to harvest medals at the ongoing NYG, promising that despite the fact that the NYG is a developmental programme the state contingent will not disappoint them.

Niger state is currently occupying the 21 position on the medal table with two bronze medal. Delta state top with 37 medals, while Rivers, Kaduna and Enugu are yet to secure a medal as at the time of filing this report.