The first edition of the National Para Games – the physically challenged version of the National Sports Festival – has concluded in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The six day event came to a close on Friday with a colorful closing ceremony at Moshood Abiola Stadium, with Team Bayelsa emerging champions with 33 gold, 30 silver, and 32 bronze medals.
Team Akwa Ibom won 38 medals in total, including ten gold, seventeen silver, and eleven bronze, to place eighth out of the twenty-two states in the federation that competed.
Sir Monday Uko, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Akwa Ibom, expressed delight with the Akwa Ibom delegation’s performance at the Games and praised Governor Udom Emmanuel for sanctioning the team’s participation.
“As you know, we competed in nine sports and won medals in all of them except para-soccer,” Mr. Uko remarked. “We also ended in eighth place out of fourteen other states, so that to me is a good performance.”
Also read: Salisu Yusuf, Kennedy Boboye Among Super Eagles B Coaching Crew
“I am grateful to His Excellency, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for releasing funds for us to participate in the championship, especially in light of the fact that about fourteen states withdrew from the competition due to a lack of funds, primarily because the championship was not captured in state budgets because it was not originally included in the country’s sports calendar for the year,” the youth and sports boss added.
The National Para Games will be held for the second time next year, and every two years after that.
This became necessary in order to lessen the burden on states to fund their participation in both the National Sports Festival and National Para Games in the same year.
