Akwa Ibom set to host inaugural Niger Delta Sports Festival

NSDF to serve as economic boost for State.

The maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival is scheduled to begin in April.

Akwa Ibom is set to host the upcoming Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), which will take place in the city of Uyo from April 1-8, 2025.

Head of Special Duties, Onome Obruthe, confirmed to NDSF Media Channel, that while data collation is ongoing, the number of athletes alone is expected to be around 3,000 from the nine Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) states.

He highlighted the festival’s international dimension, noting that regulatory officials from global sports bodies will oversee events like athletics, wrestling, and weightlifting.

Organisers of the sports festival have projected the need for 3,000 bed spaces for athletes and coaches, alongside over 2,000 hotel accommodations for administrators, organisers, and VIP guests.

This estimate excludes the expected influx of local and international media, scouts, sports enthusiasts, and tourists.

Other sporting events sceduled for the festival include athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, chess, football, handball, and para-athletics.

Athletes under 25 years of age are eligible to compete, with some exceptions for professional footballers, league boxers and Olympians.

Registration deadline is February 28, 2025.

This is the maiden edition of the Niger Delta Sports Festival and it will feature athletes from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.

The NDDC, as the festival’s major sponsor, aims to discover and nurture sports talents from the region, offering them a platform to showcase their skills.

It will also aim at human capital development in the Niger Delta region.

This great sports festival is expected to provide a significant economic boost to the host state, particularly in the hospitality sector.

Imo State in particular, is gearing up for the the festival with over 600 under 25 athletes from all 27 local government areas, set to compete across various sports.

Going by the comments of Head of Special Duties, Onome Obruthe, it sure promises to be a spectacular event.

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