Over 100 Invited Junior Athletes To Compete In Nine Events At Gateway Games 2024
Just over 100 teenage athletes selected from across Nigeria will compete against more established counterparts in nine sports at the upcoming National Sports Festival.
The vision, according to the National Sports Commission, is to provide these young athletes a rare platform to test their skills on a grand stage with a view to accelerating their development in a highly competitive environment.
The camp of these junior athletes is currently buzzing with energy and optimism.
The athletes will compete in athletics, badminton, football, para-athletics, swimming, table tennis, tennis, wrestling, and weightlifting.
These sports were strategically selected to align with Nigeria’s strength zones while preparing the next generation of stars for national and international contests.
While their inclusion is developmental, the ambition within the camp is not just passive. From the sprints to the wrestling mats, from the swimming lanes to the weightlifting platforms, these junior athletes are not just going to participate — they are going to challenge the status quo.
The Gateway Games 2024 — running from May 16 to 30 — is expected to host between 12,000 and 15,000 athletes across more than 30 sports, making it the largest convergence of sporting talent in the country. Amid this flurry of talent, all eyes will be on the IJA to see just how far the “38th state” can go.
