2024 Gateway Games: Gov Diri rewards victorious Bayelsa athletes
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has rewarded Bayelsa athletes that made the state proud at the 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Team Bayelsa finished third according to the official medals table declared by the National Sports Commission (NSC). Receiving the contingent inside the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Yenagoa, […]
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has rewarded Bayelsa athletes that made the state proud at the 22nd National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Team Bayelsa finished third according to the official medals table declared by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Receiving the contingent inside the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Diri noted that sports has become a window of opportunities and empowerment for the youths in the state.
He, however, expressed shock by the change in the medals table due to the gap between the host state, Ogun and Bayelsa, hours to the closing ceremony, stating that before he left Abeokuta, he had already noticed some malpractices that were ongoing.
He said: “I congratulate all our athletes and all our officials for making us proud at the Gateway Games at Abeokuta, Ogun State. I do not believe that you took third, I believe that you finished second at the Games.”
Senator Diri announced a cash reward of one million naira (N1,000,000.000) to each gold medalists, gold medallists in team events will smile home with N700,000 each, silver medalists N500,000 while team silver medalists will get three hundred and fifty thousand each (N350,000).
He stated that bronze medalists would take home N300,000 each while team bronze medalists would receive N200,000.
Gov Diri also announced different cash prizes for technical and other officials who attended the delayed NSF.
The Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Daniel Igali, in his remark, commended the governor as he said the final medals table at the Gateway Games was not a true reflection of Team Bayelsa’s performance in Abeokuta.