Governor Diri rewards Bayelsa athletes for impressive outing at National Sports Festival with bumper package

 

 

It was a day of joy as Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, announced exciting rewards for athletes who made the state proud at the 22nd National Sports Festival, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Team Bayelsa finished third according to the official medals table declared by the National Sports Commission.

Receiving the contingent inside the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Yenagoa, Diri noted that sport has become a window of opportunities and empowerment for the youths in the state.

Diri, who was at the closing ceremony of the National Sports Festival, said he was shocked by the twist in the medals table due to the gap between the host state, Ogun and Bayelsa, hours to the closing ceremony, stating that before he left Abeokuta, he had already noticed some unconventional practices that were ongoing.

He stated that team Bayelsa did not finish third but second on the medals table, maintaining that Bayelsa’s threat was Delta and not host, Ogun State.

“On behalf of your government of prosperity and the people of Bayelsa, I congratulate all our athletes and all our officials for making us proud at the Gateway Games at Abeokuta, Ogun State. I do not believe that you took third, I believe that you finished second at the Games”, the governor maintained.

Reward

Senator Diri announced a cash reward of one million naira (#1,000,000.000) to each gold medalists, team gold medal athletes would smile to the bank with seven hundred thousand naira (#700,000), silver medalists five hundred thousand naira (#500,000) while team silver medalists will get three hundred and fifty thousand each (#350,000).

He explained that bronze medalists would smile home with three hundred thousand naira (#300,000) each while team bronze medalists would receive two hundred thousand naira (#200,000).

Officials of gold medal athletes will equally receive One Million naira each (#1,000,000.000), gold medal technical official will also smile home with Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (#700,000) each.

Governor Diri further explained that silver medal team officials would go home with five hundred thousand naira (#500,000), silver medal technical officials will receive four hundred thousand naira (#400,000) each, bronze medal team officials will get two hundred thousand naira (#200,000) each, officials of the Ministry of Sports Development and the Sports Council will receive #1.5 million naira.

He equally promised to reward Local Organizing Committee members with (#1,000,000), festival secretariat officials (#700,000) each, essential staff, three hundred thousand naira (#300,000), support staff will go home with (#200,000) each, urging the commissioner for finance to immediately release the monies to the athletes.

Commissioner for Sports Development, Dr. Daniel Igali in his remark, said the state’s medals stand at the Gateway Games was not a true reflection of Team Bayelsa’s performance at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta.

Director of Sports, Bayelsa State Sports Council, Sir Braveman Wodi, appreciated the governor for the huge investment in the development of sports in the state, pointing out that the gesture by the state’s helmsman is a testament of his passion for sports.