Team Delta in control as battle for champion of sports in Niger Delta rages in Uyo

For a majority of athletes and officials of Team Delta, the ongoing maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, is an opportunity to claim their rightful position as the ‘Commander-in-chief’ in the region as far as sporting event is concerned.

With nine gold medals, four silver and three bronze on the second day of activities, Team Delta put itself in a commanding pool for the Games title.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, the Niger Delta region has been the main controller of Nigeria sports, with Delta, Edo, Rivers and Bayelsa laying claim to the leadership position at major sporting events.

“Despite our dominant at the National Sports Festival, athletes and officials from other states in this region have refused to accept us as the ‘true landlord’ of sports,” an official of Team Delta told The Guardian on Friday. “This maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival is an opportunity for us to prove all our critics wrong. I am happy for the results coming from the field. We are the ‘true owners’ of sports in this region and by extension Nigeria because sport is a culture and way of life for us in Delta State.”

On Thursday evening, Team Delta hauled nine gold medals, including the male and female title in the sprint events. Sprint sensation Favour Oghenetejiri Ashe won the 100m title in a time of 10:16seconds in what he termed as his first competitive race since August last year, Team Bayelsa settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

In the women’s 100m event, Jennifer Obi Chukwuma claimed gold clocking 11:41sec. Another Delta state athlete grabbed the silver while the bronze went to Team Rivers. Team Delta also got the gold in the Shot Put event, where Temitope Ademola threw 12.55meters to beat her teammate, Linda Nwagbo, who threw 11.87meters. Team Imo got the bronze medal. In triple jump, Delta got the gold medal, leaving the silver and bronze medals for Rivers and Edo respectively. In Discuss event, Team Edo won the gold, while Team Delta and Team Akwa Ibom settled for the silver and bronze medals.

As at Friday evening, Team Delta was on top the medals table with nine gold, four silver and three bronze medals followed by Team Bayelsa (seven gold, four silver and two bronze medals), Team Edo third with one gold, six silver and two bronze medals, Team Imo fourth (One gold, one silver and three bronze), while Team Ondo was fifth with one gold, and one silver medal.

In some events on completed on Friday evening, Team Imo defeated Edo 40-32 in men’s basketball, while Team Rivers and Akwa Ibom settled for 0-0 draw in men’s football. In the quarterfinals of women’s tennis event, Team Akwa Ibom defeated their Edo counterparts 2-0 (4:0, 4:1) in just 30 minutes. Cross River defeated Team Abia 46-35 in men’s basketball. The maiden Niger Delta Sports festival, the first regional Games to be held in the country will end on April 8.