Rush for medals begin as Tinubu unveils 8th National Youth Games

• Participants observe silence for an official who died coming to Asaba 

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, declared open the Eighth National Youth Games (NYG), tagged “Asaba 2024,” at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Delta State.

Tinubu represented by the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, said that the NYG has become a vision of hope for the nation’s sports.
   
“There is no better time than now to stage this National Youth Games after our participation at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Though our athletes did better at the Paralympics, there is an urgent need to re-strategise for Nigeria’s sports to return to winning ways. One of the reasons our sports is on the decline is age falsification. We need to get it right at this level.
   
My administration is dedicated to repositioning sports for a better tomorrow. When I came here for the opening ceremony of the seventh edition of the National Youth Games last year, I was barely two weeks old in office.  I can proudly say that there is a drastic improvement in the opening ceremony this year.” 

Tinubu urged all Nigerians, particularly stakeholders in the sports industry, to join hands with the Sports Ministry in its desire to change the face of the nation’s sports.
  
Earlier in his welcome speech, Governor Oborevwori said the aim of hosting the National Youth Games is to discover young athletes to replace aging ones, adding that Delta being the home of sports in Nigeria would continue to lead the way.

Oborevwori said: “Nigeria’s performance at major international sporting events is on the decline. It may not be the problem of the sports minister. We need to tackle the issue together. I expect old records to be broken and new ones set in this