Team Kaduna claimed 10 out of the 16 tickets available for team sports from the North West Zone for next month’s National Youth Games (NYG) billed for Ilorin, Kwara state.
Team Kaduna claimed both male and female tickets for volleyball, beach volleyball, hockey and football, making eight clean sweeps in both categories at the zonal eliminations that ended on Thursday at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.
Team Kaduna also qualified to represent Northwest zone in female handball and male cricket, leaving other six states to settle for the six remaining tickets. Jigawa state won the male basketball and female cricket tickets, Sokoto state settled for male handball and Kano state claimed male rugby ticket.
Northwest zone will not feature in female hockey and female rugby at the National Youth Games billed for University of Ilorin, as no state fielded teams at the eliminations.
The Zonal eliminations was supervised by the Northwest Zonal Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, Mr. Olusola Luke, who ensured, proper screening was held to eliminate ineligible athletes.
Meanwhile, President Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod, has donated five indoor volleyballs, two beach volleyballs and a net to each of the seven Northwest states as part of efforts to encourage the game of volleyball at grassroots level.
Nimrod, while making the presentation at the media centre of Ahmadu Bello stadium during the Zonal elimination, urged the various state representatives to encourage the game of volleyball in their respective states.
The Director of Grassroots Sports Development, Dr. Ademola Are, has assured that all arrangements have been concluded in ensuring a hitch-free hosting of the fifth edition of the NYG in Ilorin.
