A total of 71 athletes and officials from the Kwara Sports Commission departed Ilorin on Sunday, bound for Jos, to take part in the North Central Zonal Eliminations ahead of the National Sports Festival.

In a send-off address to the contingent, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Bola Mogaji, urged the athletes to strive for victory in order to secure their place at the sports festival in Abeokuta. He encouraged them to give their best performance, leaving no effort spared, to qualify from the zonal competition and ensure participation in the festival scheduled for May.

He also urged the athletes to “put up the winning spirit with determination to make the state proud in Jos”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the contingent, headed by the Director of Sports, Malam Ibrahim Bako will participate in four sports namely: Cricket, Football, Beach volleyball and Volleyball.

The North Central zonal eliminations will hold from Feb. 23 to Feb. 28 in Jos.