Coaches and technical officials of the Niger Delta Games would benefit from a training programme planned to improve their efficiency ahead of the 2026 Games, Dunamis Icon Limited, managing consultants for the games, have said.

Speaking on the 2026 edition of the games, yesterday, Managing Director, Dunamis ICON Limited, Itiako Ikpokpo, lamented the poor remuneration of coaches and wondered how their employers expect them to travel to communities to identify new talents.

He said: “We are working with partners, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and, specifically for this event only, the Nigeria Local Content Development and Management Board to organise a workshop in January for coaches and technical officials.”

He urged governments in the states and at the federal level to fund sports the same way they are funding road and hospital projects.

“For us to make any impact in sports, the government must invest in sports infrastructure. It is good to build roads and hospitals, and it is also important that we invest in sports infrastructure,” Ikpokpo challenged the governments.

On the challenge posed by infrastructure deficit, Ikpokpo, who is the chairman of the Delta State Athletics Association, lamented that schools are built in Nigeria without provisions for sports grounds, noting: “The schools are the cradle of sports development, yet we have people building schools with no sports facilities.”

He promised that the second NDG scheduled to be held in Benin, Edo State, will be an improvement on all fronts from the last edition.