Team Ogun departs for National Youth Games with over 300 delegates, targets improved medal haul
(ABEOKUTA, Made In Africa Sport) – Ogun State’s contingent for the 2024 National Youth Games has departed for Asaba, Delta, the host city for the eighth edition of the country’s premier juvenile sporting event.
The National Youth Games, an initiative of the National Sports Commission, began in 2013 to provide a platform for early talent identification and development.
Athletes aged under 15 will compete in 36 sports at the multisport event, which runs from Thursday, 12 September 2024, to Thursday, 19 September 2024, with Asaba retaining hosting rights after successfully hosting the 2023 edition.
Team Ogun has sent over 300 delegates and officials to the event of which 233 that traveled with the contingents are athletes aiming to compete across 28 sports.
The state will compete in both disciplines of handball, with 30 athletes on the court, and 21 in athletics on the track and field.
The team includes 14 athletes for cricket, 13 for rugby, 11 for deaf athletics, and 10 athletes each for abula, chess, and gymnastics. There are 8 athletes each for badminton, squash, table tennis, and tennis.
Golf and scrabble have 7 athletes each; boxing, swimming, and wrestling have 6 athletes each; ayo, cycling, darts, judo, karate, shooting, and weightlifting each have 5 athletes; para athletics, para table tennis, and kickboxing each have 4 athletes; and kungfu has 3 fighters.
The athletes will be aiming for a podium finish for the Gateway State after a less-than-impressive performance in the previous two editions in Ilorin and Asaba.
In 2021, Ogun State finished in eighth place with a haul of 45 medals, and seventh place in 2023 with 32 medals, an improvement due to an increase in gold medals won, rising from eight to eleven.
During the send-off for the athletes in Abeokuta, the state’s commissioner for sports development, Honourable Wasiu Isiaka, urged them to give their best performances at the games while remaining vigilant and mindful of their surroundings. He assured the athletes of full support throughout and beyond the competition.
Isiaka also called on the officials and coaches to prioritise the well-being and security of the athletes, emphasising the need to verify their eligibility to avoid any disqualifications that could bring embarrassment to the state.
NYG 2024 Updates
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