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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has congratulated Team Nigeria that participated at the just-concluded African Senior, Junior and Cadet Wrestling Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia.
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 medalist, Blessing Oborududu, won gold in the 68kg category to emerge 12-time African champion.
Governor Diri in a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, noted that the team, which had 10 young Bayelsa wrestlers, made the state and the country proud at the championships.
He said their performance was a positive manifestation of his administration’s relentless investment in sports and youths of the state.
Diri also stated 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 and counting.
He urged the youths not to rest on their laurels and continue to do the state and Nigeria proud.
Giving a breakdown of the team’s performance, the Bayelsa State commissioner for Sports, Daniel Igali, who doubles as president, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, said Governor 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 His Excellency Senator Douye Diri for his support to the Nigeria national wrestling team. Without his support, we would not have got these results.
“His penchant for grooming and supporting Bayelsa athletes is manifesting not only in our exploits nationally but also continentally as evidenced by the exploits of our wrestlers at the recently concluded 2023 Senior, Junior and Cadet African Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia.”
