The 21st National Sports Festival had top performances from Delta, Bayelsa, and Edo.
Delta won 320 gold medals, 200 silver medals, and 128 bronze medals, which was more than 35 other states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). This kept Delta in the lead at the country’s biggest sports event.
With 132 gold, 115 silver, and 90 bronze medals, Delta’s neighbor Bayelsa placed second, followed by another neighbor.
With 78 gold, 94 silver, and 167 bronze medals, Edo, which hosted the festival’s 20th edition, made it a South-South competition in the top three spots.
With 50 gold, 51 silver, and 62 bronze medals, Team Oyo finished in fourth place, while Lagos took fifth place with 41 gold, 57 silver, and 74 bronze.
With 35 gold, 57 silver, and 117 bronze medals to take sixth place, Rivers completed the circle of all-Southern state dominance.
With 19 gold, 27 silver, and 30 bronze medals, Kano ended the Southern region’s supremacy and took seventh place overall.
Akwa Ibom, FCT, and Ogun placed eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively.
At the conclusion of the 14-day competition, Zamfara was, however, still at the bottom of the table without a medal.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that 14,000 athletes competed in 38 different sports at the festival.
The following edition will be held in Ogun in 2024.
(NAN
