The 2025 Gombe Inter-Secondary Schools Athletics Championship and Grassroots Football Competition will kick off today at the Pantami Stadium, Gombe State with 1,118 athletes battling for honours.
Athletes, officials, journalists, and other stakeholders have already converged on the state capital for the much-anticipated sports event which will climax on January 25.
According to the programme released by the organisers, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State will headline the list of dignitaries attending the opening ceremony.
The Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, who chairs the Gombe State Council of Emirs, will serve as the Royal Father of the Day.
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The event is being organised by the Gombe State Athletics Association, under the leadership of Alhaji Ahmed Shuaibu-Gara Gombe, who also leads GWG Sports Center Limited.
The athletics championship will feature athletes from 73 schools spread across the 11 Local Government Areas of the state.
Meanwhile, 27 schools will vie for honours as the football event also kicks off today.
Organisers have said that among the participating schools are 11 public schools, 15 private schools, and one school from an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.
During a press conference yesterday, Gara-Gombe announced that standout athletes from the championship would be registered for the upcoming National Sports Festival in Abeokuta.
“We will select athletes who perform exceptionally well for the festival. Over the years, our athletes have consistently won medals, and those who excel in this championship will be inducted into our academy, where they will receive training, nurturing, and further development,” he stated.
The former Chairman of Gombe State Football Association also disclosed that football scouts from Germany would identify at least 10 promising young players for trials, with successful candidates receiving scholarships.
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