Imo Commissioner for Sports, Evaristus Onyeocha, has disclosed that over 600 Under-25 athletes from the state will participate in the Niger Delta Sports Festival billed for April 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Onyeocha, who also heads the Imo Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the sporting event, said this when the committee addressed newsmen in Owerri.
The NationSport reports that the festival, a first of its kind under the mandate of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), shall be among the states and indigenes of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria only, and shall run between the 1st and 8th Of April, 2025.
Over 3000 athletes, 600 coaches and technical officials, as well as 300 media practitioners shall be converging in the city of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital, for the event.
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The Commissioner described the sports festival as a flagship sports development program of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in partnership with the Dunamis Icon Limited.
He said that the LOC will help the NDDC realise its set objectives as outlined by President Bola Tinubu through the event, as well as align with the vision of the Governor Hope Uzodinma – led government in Imo for the development of sports in the state.
According to him, the athletes shall be participating in all the 17 featured sports at the festival which include athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, chess, football, handball, para-athletics, para-powerlifting, scrabble, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, traditional wrestling and wrestling.
“Participants and athletes Under 25 years of age are already registering Online at: https://nigerdeltasportfestival.com. The registration will close on March 7th.
“They can also come for physical capture at the Office of the Director of Sports, at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Registrations are ongoing and state trials for all the mentioned sports have been fixed for Tuesday, March 4th at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
He thanked all critical stakeholders including the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Rubby Emele and the Chairmen of local governments for their support in ensuring access to the grassroots for harnessing of indigenous talents for the competition.
Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers States are the nine Niger Delta States participating in the Festival.