By EMMANUEL AFONNE

Team Delta has maintained top spot of the concluded 2022 edition of the National Sports Festival (NSF) after a review of the medals table as directed by the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dare had inaugurated a Committee of Experts, Chaired by Retired Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel Okaro, to review the Medals Table of the 21st NSF, which was tagged “Delta 2022” following complaints of irregularities by some states.

The Committee, in its terms of reference, was to, among others, determine the shortfalls in the computation of the medals table as well as establish the exact and correct result with a view to putting an end to the complaints surrounding it.

A statement signed on Wednesday by Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, stated that the final medals table was released in line with the recommendations of the Committee.

“The medals table has now been rectified and approved by the Ministry,” he said.

Abubakar stated that the committee submitted that human errors occasioned by administrative laxity, inexperience, general delays, non-awareness and misapplication of the substantive Festival Rules led to the flaws observed in the earlier computed medals table.

“The full application of the Rules meant that the results from some events in Athletics, Scrabble, Weightlifting and Wresting, which did not meet the criteria for scoring, were not recorded on the reviewed medals Table.

“While in accordance with Rule 28 of the World Para Powerlifting Rules and Regulations (March 2022), only the results from ‘Best Lift Medal’ were recorded for the sport of Powerlifting.

“Consequently, it is significant to note that most of the States retained their positions on the Medals Table, thereby maintaining the status quo.

“However, some States lost some Medals as the Committee applied all extant rules guiding the organisation of the National Sports Festival as applicable in Games of this magnitude.

“In order to correct the observed anomaly and to uphold the integrity of the Festival, the Ministry will take appropriate administrative procedures to prevent future reoccurrence as recommended by the Committee.

“In the reviewed Medals Table, Delta State maintained its lead with a total of 280 Gold, 168 Silver and 120 Bronze medals, followed by Bayelsa, Edo and Oyo States, which had 106 Gold, 69 Gold and 43 Gold medals respectively.”

Oyo, Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Akwa Ibom, FCT and Ogun remained in the top 10, while Zamfara, Sokoto and Jigawa states occupied the bottom of the table with zero, one, and five Medals respectively. (NAN)

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