After one week of competition, the 2nd Niger Delta Games ended in Benin City yesterday, with the host, Team Edo, emerging as champions.
 
But the final of football events (both male and female) could not be held yesterday following a protest by the Edo State male team.
 
The Guardian learnt that the Edo male football team was earlier disqualified by the organisers before their match against Team Abia. The Edo team played under protest, while the organisers stuck to their decision.
 
The Edo boys allegedly stormed the venue yesterday and disrupted the final match, chasing all spectators away, insisting on playing the match.
 
It was also learnt that the same issue played out in the final match of the female football match between Team Delta and Team Rivers.
   
The Team Abia female football team was said to have been axed by the organisers earlier for an alleged use of “overage players” as well as “professional” players in the competition.
 
Rather than take the disqualification in good faith, the Abia team stormed the venue to stage a protest, which delayed the final of the female football match between Team Delta and Team Rivers.
 
It was further learnt that Team Rivers was later disqualified for fielding ineligible players in some of their games, and as such, the organisers awarded the gold medal in women’s to Team Delta, silver to Ondo and bronze to Edo.
 
Team Ondo was awarded the gold medal in male football, silver to Team Bayelsa and bronze to Team Imo.
    
Host, Team Edo, emerged champions of the 2nd Niger Delta Games despite losing some gold medals earlier due to the disqualification of one of their swimmers, who was stripped of five gold and one silver medals.
 
Team Edo tightened its grip on the medal table and led both in gold and overall medal counts with just a few hours to the closing ceremony at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.
 
Under the leadership of the Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Amadin Desmond Enabulele, Team Edo was ruthless from the beginning of the Games till the end, amassing over 50 gold medals before the last day of competition, 16 more than Delta State’s 34 and Bayelsa State’s 23.
 
As of yesterday afternoon, Team Edo’s total medal haul stood at 102, edging past Delta’s 91 and leaving Bayelsa trailing with 66.
 
Akwa Ibom was in fourth position with 12 gold, 15 silver and 20 bronze, Abia fifth (eight gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze), Cross River sixth with (seven gold, six silver 22 bronze), Rivers in seventh position with (six gold, 16 silver and 19 bronze), Ondo eighth position (six gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze) and Imo in ninth position with (four gold, eight silver and 17 bronze medals).
 
Edo’s commanding position reflects the state’s dominance across multiple disciplines, from swimming and athletics to wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, and racquet sports.
 
The 2nd Niger Delta Games has seen Edo athletes break a 24-year drought in swimming, secure multiple golds in wrestling and weightlifting, and dominate in boxing and tennis. Their performances electrified event venues and spectators and reinforced Edo’s reputation as a sporting powerhouse.
 
The state’s current standing marks a reversal of fortunes compared to the inaugural edition in 2025, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Then, Delta State won the highest number of medals overall but lost the gold medal race to Bayelsa by a single medal on the last day of competition.
 
This time, Edo took the front row, combining the highest gold tally with the largest overall medal count. delivering a historic triumph for the host state.
 
Team Delta finished second for the second consecutive edition, while Team Bayelsa placed third.