Sports directors approve 33 events for 6th National Youth Games

The Joint Technical Meeting of the National Youth Games (NYG), attended by no fewer than 32 state Directors of Sports from across the country, has approved 33 sporting events for the 6th edition of the games billed for Ilorin, in October, 2021.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting, chaired by the Director, Grassroots Sports Development, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Bode Durotoye, was held at the Senate Building, University of Ilorin, on Thursday.

NAN reports that members deliberated on technical issues relating to the successful hosting of the forthcoming Games and subsequently approved the events that would feature in the multi-event games, opened to all Nigerians aged 15 years and below.

Among the approved events were: Athletics, Aquatics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoeing, Chess, Cricket, Fives, Cycling, Dart, Football, Golf, Gymnastics and Handball.

Others include: Hockey, Judo, Karate, Para-athletics, Para-table tennis, Scrabble, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Squash Trado–sports, Ayo & Kokowa, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Wush-Kungfu.

The meeting enjoined States’ sports councils, commissions and ministries to ensure that athletes for the NYG fell within the prescribed age bracket of 15 years and below, for the credibility of the games.

Zonal eliminations for the games, the meeting said, should hold between Sept. 1 and Sept. 5 and adjusted online registration to take place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30.

All states should endeavour to arrive early for the screening exercises of the Games and that every participant must be registered by a state to be eligible, the meeting said.

It said fines of N2.5 million and N5 million would be imposed on any state that failed to register, or registered but failed to participate, respectively.

In addition, each participating state would be expected to register each of its athletes for N15,000 each, as well as its officials, to augment the cost of accommodation and feeding for all participants, who must also be insured by their respective states.

Meanwhile, before the meeting rose it enjoined the University to ensure a general environmental clean-up of the venues, as well as ensuring appropriate marking of the sporting courts to be used during the games.

NAN recalled that the directors had inspected some of the facilities at the University of Ilorin, Sports Complex ahead of the meeting during which they expressed satisfaction with the situation on ground. (NAN)