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Niger Delta Games organizers are considering increasing the number of sports in the tournament to 21 during the next edition of the annual sports fiesta, Sir. Malik Itiako Ikpokpo, Managing Consultant of Dunamis Icon Limited, the lead consultant and event organizer has disclosed.
Ikpokpo made the disclosure while addressing the Press on Tuesday at the Media Centre of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the Edo state capital, Benin City.
He stressed that the organizers are not interested in who wins but talents discovery and development.
He noted that the decision to increase the number, depends on their popularity in the region.
The second Niger Delta Games are presently going on in Benin, the Edo State capital with 16 sports featuring.
“Our plan is to give opportunity to athletes of all sports to be part of the Games. You will notice that this year, we removed canoeing because the equipments are not in any of the participating states but in Lagos and Abuja.
“We then brought in Taekwondo. So, we will definitely consider increasing the number of sports but we will also consider how popular that sports is in the Niger Delta region”.
Speaking further, Ikpokpo stated that one of the lasting legacies he wants to put in place is to make sure that athletes are comfortable which necessitated the use of Benson Idahosa University as the Games village.
“The idea of the Niger Delta Games is not to win at all cost but to discover hidden talents in the region. We also want to leave a lasting legacy that things can be done right and athletes welfare not to be toiled with.
“It was in view of this that we are using Benson Idahosa University as our Games village. The beauty of this decision is that all the athletes and coaches are camped in one place which brings about good bonding “, he noted
Ikpokpo also highlighted the importance of going back to school sports and charged the various state governments in the oil-rich Niger Delta region to provide adequate funding for coaches to enable them engage in serious grassroots talent hunt.
He added that more should be done in the area of facilities and motivation of sports administrators.
Ikpokpo expressed happiness with the seamless organization of the Games and advised participating states to monitor the development of athletes discovered in their states to enable them rise to the pinnacle of their career.
”The decision to reduce the participating age is already yielding result. One of the girls that won gold medal this year is 13 years old.
“She participated last year and came last but participating with her peers this year, she now won gold which is a good development for the Games.”
He commended sports Journalists for their support, urging them not to relent in their reportage of the tournament as he described the media professionals as partners in progress.
