Senior athletes grumble as Delta rewards National Youth Games’ stars

Delta State cadet athletes, who won the eighth edition of the National Youth Games held in Asaba earlier this year, were in jubilant mood, yesterday, following their cash reward by the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.

But the gesture sank the morale of their senior colleagues, who topped the medals table at the 21st edition of the senior National Sports Festival, which Delta State also hosted in 2022. They said they had been waiting endlessly for their own reward.

In preparation for the eighth National Youth Games, Governor Oborevwori pumped up the spirit of the cadet athletes by rewarding them for their performance at the seventh edition, which Delta also won. The governor’s gesture boosted the athletes’ morale for the Games, with Team Delta topping the medals chart again.

The Guardian learnt yesterday that Governor Oborevwori approved the sum of N150, 000 for each gold medallist, as reward for winning the 8th National Youth Games, with N100,000 going to silver medallists and N80,000 for every bronze medal. Their coaches and backroom staff also smiled to the bank.

Meanwhile, Delta State senior athletes, who defended their National Sports Festival title in 2022 have described the ‘long delay’ in rewarding them as disheartening.

Team Delta won the 21st National Sports Festival held in Asaba in 2022, with Bayelsa State second, while Edo State, which hosted the 20th edition of the festival, was third.

According to an official of the Delta Sports Commission, the file for financial rewards for the senior athletes and officials got ‘missing’ in transit and could not be traced for former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to attend to it before he left office.

Some athletes, who spoke with The Guardian, yesterday, expressed sadness over the long wait for the award.

“It is sad that the state government is rewarding our junior athletes for the second time this year and we (senior) are yet to get our reward for topping the medals table at Asaba 2022 National Sports Festival. Government is a continuous process, and we expect Governor Oborevwori to dust our files and reward us to boost our morale ahead of the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival holding in Ogun State. He is a listening Governor, and we are hopeful,” the athlete said.

No official of the Sports Commission was ready to speak yesterday on the circumstances surrounding the delay in rewarding the senior athletes.