The Delta Sports Commission has confirmed that over 5,000 athletes will compete at the forthcoming seventh edition of the National Youth Games.
The youth multi-event is scheduled to take place between September 20 and 30 in Asaba, Delta State.
Confirming the total participants, the Chairman of Delta Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, said that a total of 5,742 athletes and officials have been registered for the games.
Okowa added that the state would stage the best-ever event in the history of the National Youth Games.
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Okowa stated further that the Delta State government was ready to give the youths a befitting sports festival.
Since the competition’s inception in Abuja in 2013, Team Delta has won nearly every iteration. There will be 34 scoring events in the 2023 edition.
Meanwhile, to guarantee that only clean athletes compete, the authorities also warned that doping control will be strictly enforced, with competitors being tested at random during the games.
The last five NYGs were held at Ilorin, Kwara State, with Team Delta winning all of them.
The games will also act as a forerunner to the nation’s 63rd Independence Anniversary, which will be celebrated on October 1st, 2023.