Bukola Olopade, Director General, DG, National Sports Commission, NSC, on Monday, clarified the status of the Invited Junior Athletes, IJA, who are participating in the 22nd National Sports Festival, NSF, called the Gateway Games 2024 alongside 36 states plus the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Speaking to questions asked at the central media platform of the Gateway Games, Olopade said that the athlete contingents who marched as the ’37th state’ at the opening ceremony were part of the larger plans of the NSC to mainstream junior athletes who performed well at the Youth Games into elite sports.
“Yes, they are participating as a state,” explained Olopade.
” They are all winners of their sports at the Youth Games.
” When we asked questions and discovered that the youth games champions were always made away with after every games, we decided to create a pathway for their growth from the youth games to Elite,” he said.
He further added that the young athletes will be competing in about nine sports.
“And yes their medals will count,” he added.
