Delta Rejects NSC Plan to Move 2026 National Youth Games to Lagos ~ Truth Reporters

 

 

The Delta State Sports Commission has declared that it will not accept any move by the National Sports Commission (NSC) to relocate the 10th edition of the National Youth Games (NYG) to Lagos State, insisting that an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) still grants Delta hosting rights.

 

The Acting Director-General of the Commission, Ms. Emuobo Egalase, stated this during a press briefing at her office at the Stephen Keshi International Stadium, Asaba.

 

She explained that the MoU, signed in 2023 between the then Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (now NSC) and the Delta State Government, remains valid and binding. 

According to her, Delta had secured the rights to host four consecutive editions of the cadet championship, and nothing has changed to warrant a reversal.

 

“The change in nomenclature from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to the National Sports Commission does not invalidate the earlier agreement. 

"The state has not withdrawn from hosting, and anything contrary smacks of distrust and lack of integrity on the part of the apex sports governing body,” Egalase said.

 

She stressed that Delta’s contributions to Nigeria’s sporting excellence are evident, as the state has consistently been at the forefront of sports development in the country. 

She added that the state remains committed to hosting the 10th edition of the games in 2026 and looks forward to welcoming athletes and officials from across the nation in September next year.

 

Meanwhile, the Delta State Sports Commission has urged the NSC to consider Lagos as the pioneer host of the proposed National Intermediate Games. 

The Commission explained that the initiative, aimed at bridging the gap for athletes transitioning from the youth category to adulthood, would benefit from Lagos setting the tone for subsequent editions, just as Abuja did when the National Youth Games debuted in 2013 at the MKO Abiola National Stadium.