Gateway Games: Sports commissioner hails Team Imo performance

As the 2024 edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF) tagged ‘Gateway Games 2024’ kicks off in full gear, the Imo State Commissioner for Sports, Obinna Onyeocha, has expressed strong optimism about Team Imo’s performance.

The Commissioner in a media chat at Ogun Stadium venur for the festival assured citizens of the state that the team will come back home with a lot of medals

He praised the early strides of Team Imo in various disciplines and attributed the promising performance to the unwavering support from the State Government.

He said: “this is just the preliminary stage, and I think we are doing wonderfully well,”. “Looking at the various sports we are participating in – in football, we won; we won in basketball against the host state, hockey won, and also boxing too. So far, so good. I’m very sure we will achieve a lot of medals.”

The Commissioner specifically hailed the efforts of Governor Hope Uzodimma, describing him as a sports-loving leader who has provided the team with the necessary support to excel at the national event.

He described the Governor as a motivator, having given the contingent full support.

Onyeocha affirmed that with the administrative groundwork in place, the focus now rests on the athletes to deliver.

He said, “Arguably, we have done our part. The rest is now in the hands of the athletes”.

To Imolites at home, the commissioner delivered a message of confidence and reassurance.

The National Sports Festival, often dubbed Nigeria’s ‘mini-Olympics,’ brings together athletes from all states of the federation in a multi-sport competition aimed at fostering unity, talent discovery, and sports development.

With Team Imo already showing early signs of promise, expectations are high as the competition unfolds in the days ahead.