No fewer than 4,500 athletes will compete for honours in 11 sports events as the seventh edition of the National Youth Games kicks off on Saturday (today) in Asaba, Delta State.
The Games will be held between 23 and 30 September, across multiple venues in Asaba.
Sports to feature at the Games include athletics, basketball, cricket, chess, football, judo, golf, handball, scrabble, Taekwondo and volleyball.
The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, is expected to grace the opening ceremony scheduled for the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
He revealed that the main focus of the Games will be to unearth young talents for the country, who would possibly take on the baton at the elite stage in a few years.
“At this level of sports, our major focus as a nation will not be to win, but to provide a platform for new talents to find expression”, Enoh said.
“We want to have a working system that churns out talents for the nation, and at the same time provides a platform for these talented individuals to be the best version of themselves”.
“The National Youth Games is for young athletes who are 15 years and under. It is at this level that we want to find the next Victor Osimhen, the heir apparent to Tobi Amusan, the protégés for Funke Oshonaike and Aruna Quadri, and many others”.
