Prince Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State has charged athletes representing the state at the 2024 National Sports Festival to intensify their efforts to reach the podium at the ongoing games in the state’s capital of Aboekuta and other venues.
Governor Abiodun rallied the athletes while visiting different venues of the games on Saturday.
The Governor was at the Alake Sports Complex, Ijeja, Abeokuta, where he encouraged the state’s table tennis players.
He was also at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, where he presented the gold medal to the state’s winning contingent in the mixed 4x400m relay which was held on Friday night.
Ogun State’s quartet of Badmus Gafar, Samson Nathaniel, Tosin Adeleye and Toheebat Jimoh won the race in a time of 3:20:65.
After the medal presentation, Governor Abiodun spoke briefly to journalists, expressing delight at the success of the games and the exploits of Ogun State athletes.
The Governor has announced a cash reward of N2.5m for all gold medalists in the state, N1.5m for silver medalists and N1m for bronze medalists.
As of the time of filling this report, Team Ogun were fourth on the medals table with 13 gold, 16 silver and 20 bronze medals.
Over 10,000 athletes are competing at the games for a total of 2,150 medals on offer in 549 events.
The multi-sport event, regarded as Nigeria’s version of the Olympics, is poised to be one of the most expansive in the festival’s history, with 626 gold, 626 silver, and 898 bronze medals up for grabs.
A major new feature of NSF 2024 is the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes category. This will allow junior athletes to compete alongside more experienced athletes, offering them an opportunity to exhibit their talent on a national stage.
Credit: punchng.com
