The Chairman of Delta Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, said the state would stage the best-ever event in the history of the National Youth Games. A total of 5,742 athletes and officials have been registered to participate at the seventh National Youth Games scheduled to hold in Asaba from September 20 to 30.
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Okowa told The Guardian on his return from N’Djamena, where he represented the President of the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA), Hamad Kalkaba, in a marathon event in Chad, that Delta state government was ready to give the youths a befitting sports festival.
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Team Delta has won virtually all editions of the National Youth Games since the competition came into existence in 2013 in Abuja. The 2023 edition will have 34 scoring events.
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On Friday, a meeting on the Games took place, and among the key points reached was that all states should get insurance cover for athletes and officials coming for the Games.
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It was emphasized that all states will provide evidence of payment for participation and Insurance policy for athletes and officials as it will be used as necessary clearance into the Games Village.
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Also indicated was that screening of athletes will be carried out only once after two-day grace of arrival at Games village, just as it warned that any state that did not take part in the screening will be disqualified.
To ensure that only clean athletes take part in the Games, the authorities also warned that doping control would be enforced as athletes may be tested at random during the Games.
The last five editions of the NYG were held in Ilorin, Kwara State, with Team Delta winning all.
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