Sports
17 Niger Delta Games Athletes make World Athletics U-20 Qualifying Times
In an interim technical report of the 2nd Niger Delta Games submitted to World Athletics, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Athletics Federation of Nigeria(AFN), it emerged that 17 athletes met the qualifying standards for the World Junior U-20 Championship taking place in the United States of America.
This has been confirmed by Enefiok Udo-Obong, the Games Technical Director, who disclosed that the 17 athletes included four boys and 13.
The detailed report had the World Athletics qualifying standards, names of the athletes and their time for track athletes and distance/ height for field athletes.
Notably among them is the 100 meters which has a qualifying time of 10.50 seconds with two sprinters making the mark.Chibueze Osama and Godswill Sunday, both of Delta State ran faster times of 10.42 and 10.44 seconds respectively.
While the standard qualifying time for the 200 meters is 21.25 seconds, Bright Gift from Akwa Ibom returned a faster time of 21.25 seconds.
Oseiwe Salami Ahusimenre of Edo State returned a time of 51.75 seconds to meet the 55 seconds benchmark for the men’s 400 meters hurdles.
Four girls made the qualifying time of 11.78 seconds in the women 100 meter sprints. They are Ejiro Peter of Delta State (11.58 seconds), Edo State’s Tejiri Ugoh PRAISE (11.76), Azeez Zainab of Ondo State (11.73) and Victory Imoisemen Azobudi of Edo(11.78).
In the girls 200 meters, Ejiro Peter(23.66), Tejiri Ugoh PRAISE (23.75) and Delta State’s Faith Chukwuma (24.02) all made it faster that the world standards 24.35 seconds.
There was also a high return of qualifiers in the girls 400 meters category with five athletes beating the world standard 55.20 seconds.
Those who breasted the tape below the time are Delta State Okereke Treasure (52.50), Jacinter Andrew of Akwa Ibom (53.83), Siviana Ossai of Delta (53.85), Odot Udo of Akwa Ibom (54.49), Iyanuoluwa Aderemi of Ondo (54.95) and Faith Ezechukwu of Bayelsa (55.19)Mary Innocent of Delta State ran a time of 59.87 seconds to beat the world standard’s 1:00.75 seconds for the girls 400 meters hurdles.
The last qualifier was in the long jump where Favour Olise of Delta State leapt to a height of 6.33 meters, well over the world benchmark of 6.22 meters
What this meansAccordingtoUdo-Obong, who is Technical Advisor to the Royal Saudi Arabia Athletics, the Niger Delta Games has provided Nigeria athletics a pool of athletes to enter for the World Junior U-20 Championship.
“The Niger Delta Games is an event in the calendar of World Athletics and this means that performances at the Games are official and rates as a qualifying platform for the global meet.
“It is now left to the authorities in Nigeria to decide if the country will be participating, and if yes, there is no reason these athletes can’t be entered”, the Sydney Olympics 400 meters relay gold medalist stated.
The games was endorsed by the NSC whose Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, represented the President at the opening ceremony of the inaugural edition last year.
Sports
AACT 2026: Girls in Golf initiatives kick Start week-long Activities.
The week-long activities designed as part of 2026 All Africa Challenge Trophy got underway Monday with Girls in Golf initiative.
The Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria, LGAN says initiative will empower young girls and inspire the next generation of female golfers in Nigeria.
Dr Lami Ahmed, LGAN President and Chairperson, Local Organising Committee for the All Africa Challenge Trophy said this during a training programme for no fewer than 60 young girls at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja.
Ahmed said the initiative was designed to extend golf’s impact beyond competition by investing in young people and creating opportunities for their development.
“We believe that charity calls on us to touch lives and invest in others. Golf is not just about playing the game; it is also about giving back to society,” she said.
She explained that the future of women’s golf depended on introducing girls to the sport early and providing them with the skills and opportunities to excel.
Dr Lami said the Girls in Golf initiative was designed to introduce young girls to the sport, ignite their interest and expose them to the opportunities available through golf.
According to her, the initiative will also help girls develop valuable skills, build confidence and make informed decisions about their future careers.
Ahmed said the association had observed an increase in the number of female caddies across the country, making it necessary to create structured pathways for girls interested in golf.
She added that the initiative would encourage girls to explore different opportunities within the sport, including playing professionally and pursuing other golf-related careers.
Ahmed expressed gratitude to Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the President and founder of the Renewed Hope Initiative, for supporting the programme and the 2026 AACT.
She said the first Lady had demonstrated a strong commitment to human capital development, particularly initiatives that empower women and the girl-child.
“Her Excellency readily embraced the project because she believes in giving back to society, especially by supporting children and creating opportunities for them to thrive,” Ahmed said.
She added that preparations for the championship were progressing well, with teams from various African countries already in Abuja.
The week-long continental women’s golf championship is expected to end on Friday, with teams from at least 20 African countries expected to compete for honours.
Ahmed said LGAN remained committed to using golf as a platform for youth development, empowerment and the promotion of greater participation by women and girls in sports.
She urged stakeholders to support initiatives that would make golf more accessible to young girls and create sustainable pathways for their participation in the sport.
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