Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, is elated that wrestlers of the state origin who were part of the Team Nigeria that participated in the just-concluded African Senior, Junior and Cadet Wrestling Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia made the state and the country proud.
He said the team’s performance was a positive manifestation of his administration’s relentless investment in sports and youths of the state and that his government’s passion to develop the potential of Bayelsa youths through skills acquisition and other human capacity building initiatives had changed the narrative about Bayelsa in the last three years.
While congratulating Team Nigeria for the historic outing, Diri said in a statement by his chief press secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, that the youths should not allow the current victory to put them down, but should work harder to continue to win laurels.
Nigeria came tops at the tournament winning six gold and four silver medals in the senior category, two gold in the junior category and one gold in beach wrestling. The team also won three silver and two bronze medals in different categories as well as clinching the African senior female team title for an unprecedented 12th time.
Olympic silver medallist, Blessing Oborududu, won gold in the 68kg category to emerge 12-time African champion. 10 of the wrestlers were Bayelsa natives.
Giving a breakdown of the team’s performance, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports, Daniel Igali, who doubles as President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, said Diri funded and supported 10 of the 18 wrestlers to the tournament.
Igali explained that Bayelsa wrestlers in the team won three senior gold medals, two junior gold medals, and one beach wrestling gold medal in addition to three senior silver and two senior bronze medals.
He said: “The Bayelsa State government sponsored and supported 10 Bayelsans to this tournament. I acknowledge and appreciate the governor for his support to the Nigeria national wrestling team. Without his support, we would not have got these results.”
