NYG: Delta retains trophy with 41 golds, beat Lagos, Bayelsa



Team Delta retained their National Youth Games trophy after winning the 5th edition that ended on Monday at the University of Ilorin with 41 gold, 32 silver, and 31 bronze medals.

Lagos state pooled 22 golds, 36 silvers and 14 bronze medals to retain their second position, while Bayelsa state maintained their 2018 third position with 17 gold medals, 6 silver and 22 bronze. Delta state also won the trophy for having the largest contingent, while Akwa Ibom state emerged the best kitted team. 


Lagos state won the march past having marched with two colourful track suits beating Delta and Abia states. Yobe state emerged the most disciplined team to win the best behaved trophy. 


Defending champions, Delta dismissed early threats from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Team Lagos, who topped the medals table on day one and day two respectively, to bounce back on the third day and topped the medals table until the final day ending with total of 104 medals.  


Akwa Ibom was fourth with 16 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals, Edo state finished fifth with 13 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze medals, while Ogun state won 9 gold, 6 silver and 17 bronze medals to finish sixth, Ondo state garnered 8 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze medals to place 7th and Oyo state won 7 gold, 17 silver and 13 bronze medals to emerge 8th.


Ninth position went to  the FCT  with 7 gold, 5 silver and 13 bronze medals, while Plateau state sums up the top 10 with 7 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. Team Kaduna however was 12th 4 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Kwara state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, while declaring the Games closed promised a better event and improved outing from Team Kwara next year, noting that he has learnt some things which the state would apply to improve sports going forward. 


The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, said the Youth Games is achieving its aim as over 30 graduates of the Games represented Nigeria at the last Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco. 
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, Dare said youth athletes are making waves in boxing, table tennis, athletics, judo, badminton, canoe kayak, noting that the future of Nigeria sports is quite bright with the performance of the youth. 

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