Talent pool excites Onyali, others as Bayelsa, Delta fight for top spot

Olympic medallists, Mary Onyali, Blessing Oborodudu and other top stars are excited at the number of talented youngsters that the ongoing Niger Delta Sports Festival has thrown up for the country.

The maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival, sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), will end tomorrow in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State after eight days of intense competition by the nine NDDC states.

As at yesterday evening, Team Delta and Bayelsa were neck-to-neck at the top of the medals table. While Delta was on top with 30 gold medals, Bayelsa was close with 28 gold. But officials of Bayelsa have expressed confidence in their athletes’ chances of harvesting more medals from wrestling and weightlifting events this evening to overtake Delta on the table.

For the organisers, the outcome by the scouting exercise at the Games, which is the first regional sports festival in the country, is a direct result of the engagement of over 20 coaches, retired elite athletes, and scouts, who have been on ground to harvest potential star.

Francis Sule, a former Nigeria table tennis captain, and now, a grassroots coach, believes that he has spotted promising talents at the festival.

“I am very impressed with what I have seen on the ground so far. Numerous talents abound in the Niger Delta Region, and I can confidently show you the athletes that will replace Funke Oshinaike, Aruna Quadri, and Bose Kaffo in this festival.”

Sule, who is a member of the Scouting and Mentorship committee of the Niger Delta Sports Festival, further explained to the NDSF media unit that he was overjoyed with the standard of play from the young athletes.

“I have selected young boys and girls who met the criteria for subsequent nurturing and developmental