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Daniel Igali, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports Development, says the state is aiming to win at least 400 medals at the ongoing National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged Gateway Games 2024, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
After Day Four of the multi-sport event, Bayelsa State leads the overall medals table with 53 medals, comprising 30 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze.
Despite Bayelsa’s impressive showing so far, Igali urged caution, insisting it is still too early to draw conclusions based on current standings.
Read Also: Gateway Games 2024: Bayelsa maintains top spot on medals table at NSF
“You can’t talk about the medals table by who is leading now,” Igali said during a press briefing in Abeokuta. “We only came to give competition to the perennial winners, which we are doing now.”
He emphasised that many medal-heavy events were still underway and that the full picture of the festival’s competitiveness would emerge much later.
“The big sports with big medal hopes, like Delta State and others, are yet to compete. We’re putting our eyes on the ground and hoping things pan out well. But I must say, we are right where we think we should be,” Igali added.
“This is shaping up to be one of the more competitive National Sports Festivals we’ve had in recent times.”
He pointed out that only a few events, such as weightlifting and kung fu, had concluded, with most competitions still ongoing.
“There are about 400 gold medals to be won in total in this tournament. It gets really exciting around Day Eight, Nine, and Ten, when most sports have been completed. That’s when you can start to predict outcomes more clearly.”
Action resumes on Friday, as the Gateway Games 2024 gathers momentum, with states vying for increased medal hauls across multiple disciplines.
Anthony Nlebem
Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
