Sambo to declare open National Youth Festival

The maiden edition of the National Youth Games will be declared opened by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Abuja National Stadium by 3pm on Sunday.
Julius Ogunro, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed in Abuja that Sambo will declare open the 14 sports picked for the Games.
Ogunro also said: “This is the very first time the National Youth Games will be hosted in the country. It is a platform for all young people between the ages of 13 to 17 to participate in major sports in a competition of this magnitude. This Games is for (sports) talent identification and discovery at a more younger age.
“We discovered that with the National Sports Festival the ages of most of the medalists were between 24 and 26 years but at that age Jamaican world 100m and 200m Champion Usain Bolt has already done two or three Olympics. So it means preparing such athletes for the Olympics would mean taking athletes between 30 years and above to the Olympics which is not good for our ambition in sports development.
“The National Sports Commission felt that if we had a Youth Games that could take care of development component of discovery and talent identification then it would be better for our sports. So that is why we are doing this to discover talents early and then graduate into our elite programmes. That is what we are out to achieve with this National Youth Games.
“Basketball, squash, football, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, boxing, para-lifting, track and field, weightlifting and others.
Ogunro also disclosed that the NSC will not reward any athlete that wins medals with trophies because the Commission wants to avoid cheating that normally attends such since athletes will now result to win at all cost system.
He said: “We only want the children to have fun, to participate and sharpen their God given sports talents. Although we will have first to third positions but it won’t attract any prize awards or trophies.
“All athletes and participants will get certificates of participation.
“We want them to know that this is not a do or die thing. We want them to come together under one umbrella to showcase their talents and fromthere we will identify the talents and work on them for future of Nigerian sports.”
Ogunro also said that the Games is free and that Abuja residents could come in large numbers to watch the various 14 sports that the young athletes would compete for. \
Also, popular musicians such asd Wiz Kid will entertain fans and athletes during the Youth Game.