They have been touring the nine states participating in the Niger Delta Games as a team of athletes screening committee, led by Braveman Wodi. After their stop in Imo State, a member of the Games Screening Committee, Anthony Chukwu (mostly known as Tonnex Chukwu) has come out to assess the exercise, and he had only commendations for organisers of the Niger Delta Games (NDG), Dunamis Icon Limited for enforcing the screening of participating athletes.
By the time the second edition of the NDG commences in Benin City, Edo state on 20 February, all attending athletes would have gone through mandatory screening exercises in their respective states, a scheme meant to ensure that only qualified young athletes participate.
After the Imo State screening in Owerri, the state capital, an impressed Chukwu eulogised the organisers for their forward thinking approach which he says will help to make the objectives of the NDG actualised.
In a chat to NDG Media said: ‘I will want to first of all commend the organisers. It is a very thoughtful idea for us to make a pre-competition screening. It has really opened our eyes.
‘I want to commend Dunamis Icon, particularly the Chief Executive Itiako Ikpokpo. He said ‘Gentlemen, let us see if we can rejig Sports in the Niger Delta states’ and that he would want a system where, athletes going to the Sports Festival and even international meets will have to be from the Niger Delta. That was why they decided to lower the age.
‘When you have younger athletes discovered and developed, we are bound to benefit from that. So, thinking about the idea of screening before the competition is beautiful’.
After visiting various centres used during the trials for Imo state athletes, Chukwu was left impressed with the work done by coaches at all levels to prepare genuine young athletes for the Games.
He also encouraged coaches to see themselves as a very key component of organisation for the NDG without which its success cannot be attained.
‘I will also like to charge the coaches, they should work harder. The success of whatever thing we are planning will very much be dependent on the coaches.
‘They are the first line of contact for these athletes so if you deceive us that an athlete is 15 when he is 30, when he gets to the big stage, he or she will disappear. I pray that this 2026 edition will be much much better and will throw up younger athletes that will represent us in the future’, he further said.
All the nine Niger Delta states will be represented at the second Niger Delta Games in Edo State between 20 and 27 February 2026.
