Delta Confirms Class Again At 21st National Sports Festival

Delta State confirmed its superiority in national sports meets when it again won the 21st National Sports Festival that ended last weekend in Asaba, the Delta State capital. The state raked in a total haul of 648 medals made up of 320 gold, 200 silver and 128 bronze medals.
It was followed by Bayelsa State, which won 132 gold, 115 silver and 90 bronze medals. Edo State, which hosted the last festival came third with 78 gold, 94 silver and 167 bronze medals. Team Oyo came fourth with 50 gold, 51 silver and 62 bronze medals, while Team Lagos was fifth with 41 gold, 57 silver and 74 bronze medals.
Team Rivers was sixth with 35 gold, 57 silver and 117 bronze medals to occupy the sixth position, then Kano the best performing northern state was seventh with 19 gold, 27 silver and 30 bronze medals. Ogun, FCT and Akwa Ibom emerged eighth, ninth and 10th respectively. Zamfara, however, remained at the base of the table with no medal at the close of the 14-day event.
Delta State had won the 20th edition, which took place in Edo State in 2021, which was hampered by funds and COVID-19 restrictions. Though the 21 edition attracted a lot of athletes and crowd to the Delta State capital, the shine of the festival and its publicity were taken off by the World Cup, which is currently taking place in Qatar.
No fewer than 14,000 athletes participated in 38 sports at the festival. The next edition will hold in 2024 in Ogun State.