The Federal Ministry of Sports Development has officially announced the postponement of the 2023 National Youth Games (NYG).
The decision came after a meeting between the Ministry of Sports Development and the Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, in Abuja yesterday.
The 7th edition of this grassroots sporting event was originally scheduled to take place from September 10 to 17 in Asaba, the capital of Delta State. However, a new date of September 20 to 30, 2023 has been set for the games.
The ministry stated that the change in date was made to allow more time for the successful organisation of the youth games fiesta.
It will be recalled the Federal Ministry of Sports Development in May 2023 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Delta State government in respect of the Award of Hosting Right for four (4) Editions of the National Youth Games (NYG) covering the period 2023 to 2026.
The National Youth Games strictly cater to athletes under the age of 15, making it a U-15 competition and to eliminate age-cheating, the sports ministry announced then that it was now mandatory for all athletes coming to the games to have their national identity number or face immediate disqualification.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 30 sports will feature at the seventh edition of the games.
The games are Athletics, Gymnastics, Para – Table Tennis, Badminton, Handball, Boxing, Basketball, Hockey, Table Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Karate, and Tennis.
Others are Canoeing, Para-Athletics, Taekwondo, Chess, Squash and Scrabble, Cycling, Swimming, Volleyball, Football, Judo, Weightlifting, Golf, Rugby, and Wrestling.