Even though the focus has been on the expected battle between champions, Bayelsa State and Delta State for top spot, some Rivers State athletes are poised to upturn the apple cart at the forthcoming Niger Delta Games billed to hold in Benin, Edo State from February 20 to 27.

Some of these athletes billed to feature in athletics, basketball, table tennis and other events have taken to their social media accounts to promote the games, while speaking of their potential to win their sports fiesta.

Chief among these optimists are the basketball players, who are excited at the prospect of defending the gold medal they won at the maiden edition of the Games in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last year.

At the basketball court on Niger/ Bende Streets in Port Harcourt Township, the players said they have been training hard to ensure that they defend their title. A confident Dalhati Wealth said that his team will emerge victorious as they are learning new techniques and tactics to ensure victory.

“As you can see, every player is putting in good effort to be mentally and physically fit, including learning new tactics to be ready and maintain the level that saw us go all the way at the last Games.

“We started our preparation early because we want to achieve success at the end of the day. You know that if you don’t train and do not prepare early, you can’t perform when the chips are down,“ Wealth said.

He used the opportunity to commend the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for initiating the sports programme with the vision to develop, empower and provide an enduring platform for youths in the region.

”This competition will no doubt help to unearth talents in the region, and will equally expose us to both local and foreign scouts because you can never tell.

“You know we only have one Youth Games every year but this has added to the calendar towards sports development and the engagement of young people, especially, at the grassroots level,” he stated.

A very young looking Kelvin Harrison was seen in a promotional social media post boasting that his team would win gold for Rivers State.”
Ebenezer Obas added drama and fun when he rallied other basketball players on their training ground to add a psychological war dimension in a video.

After introducing himself and speaking of their determination to retain the gold medal from the last edition, he invited others who stood behind him as they chorused “let’s go Rivers” as they broke into an opponent’s daring chants.