Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello has agreed to host the athletes who participated at the National Youth Games on Thursday, the Commissioner for Sports, Arome Adoji said.
Arome who disclosed this while addressing newsmen in his office praised the contingents for making the state proud at the just concluded National Youth Games in Ilorin, Kwara State.
“Kogi state was represented in 11 sports this includes; Badminton, Boxing, Chess, Judo, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Taekwondo, Ayo, Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Table Tennis and Tennis with forty-four athletes”.
The state came 17th on the overall medals table winning a total of ten medals made up of two gold in Beach Volleyball and chess, three silver in Ayo and chess, while five bronze in Chess, Ayo, Table Tennis and Tennis,” he said.
He noted that the degree of attention paid to Youth development and Sports from the grassroot to national levey under the current administration stands above any other administration till date.
The Commissioner explained that Kogi is endowed with abundant talents that can do the state proud in National and international Championships.
“I observed that Kogi state indigenes constitute about thirty percent of the athletes in all the states of the federation. I have therefore charged the sports council to ensure that they bring back all Kogi athletes to the state as there has been put in place an enabling environment for empowering and training of athletes to stardom”.
The Commissioner apologised for his inability to address the press since assumption into office.
“With all sense of humility, I want to say that my inability to add the press for a while was not intended to undermine the important road of media in sports development, but rather to record some moderate achievement which is news worthy,” he said.
