Complete report on the IMO Team trip to the Games NSF Gateway, Ogun 2024

By Anthony Ayize

The National Sports Festival (NSF), tagged Gateway Games 2024, has marked another significant chapter of the basic sports development of Nigeria, often nicknamed the country’s “mini Olympics”. The IMO team was among the contingents who competed in the multi-Sport event hosted in the state of Ogun. With lively determination, 420 representatives of the IMO state, which include 327 athletes, 70 officials and 23 delegates, left Owerri on May 17, 2024, to participate in this prestigious event.

The athletes of IMO competed in 31 different sports and concluded the festival in sixteenth position on the table of the overall medal with a total transport of 38 medals, divided into:
• 4 gold medals
• 6 silver medals
• 28 bronze medals

Overview of the medal and sports contributions

The medals were earned in 15 different sports activities, showing the versatility and resilience of IMO athletes. These sports include:
• Darts
• cricket
• Abula
• Para basketball
• Paragraph table tennis
• Kickboxing
• Wrestling
• Athletics
• Para Athletics (Shot Put)
• Prato tennis
• Powerlifting Para
• Wushu Kungfu
• Chess
• Karate
• Taekwondo
• Golf

Highlights the performances and winning sports of the medal

Among all sports, the arrows emerged as the most successful medals, contributing to 7 medals to the count: 1 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze. A significant culminating point of this discipline was the exceptional performance of Favor Okehie, who played a key role in the victories of the Darts medal and emerged as one of the team’s most decorated athletes.

Other sports that have contributed with multiple medals include:
• Powerlifting Para
• Kickboxing
• Paragraph table tennis
• Wrestling

These events not only brought medals, but also demonstrated the strength of IMO in the para -port, in combat sports and in traditional field events.

Performer of stars and key medals

Below is a list of summary of remarkable individual and team medals at the Gateway games:

🥇 Gold medals
1. Favor Okehie – Darts 301 single women
2
3. Mercy Nneka Owuchekwa – Chess (Classic)
4. Jecinta Mbaegwu – Para Table Tennis (Women Singles)

🥈 Silver medals
1. Ernest Ugwuanyi – Wushu Kungfu 90kg Men
2. Ebubechi Akosa – 102 kg of weights.
3. Favor Okehie – Darts 501 Women
4. Nkemjika iwuoha – Para Powerlifting 159kg Women
5
6. Chukwuemeka Henry – Kickboxing 60kg Men

🥉 Bronze medals (selected list)
• Chigoizie chukwudera – Taekwondo 67kg Men
• Oluebube Chizitre & Onduegbuchi Stella – Wushu Kungfu
• Uzoma Mejuru – Darts 301 men
• Amaechi Johnson and Chizoba Peace – Kickboxing
• Eze Chidinma and Olchi Ozurumba – Tennis women double
• Augustin Azubuike & Chimaobi Azuwuike – Athletics
• Amarachi Nkwocha and Jecinta Mbaegwu – Para Table Tennis Doubles
• Chindu Njoku Alabi – Men’s double tennis tennis
• Duru Bongess & Acholonu Chidinma – Para Athletics Shot Put
• Team Cricket (male) – Bronze
• Team Abula (double) – bronze
• Team Para Basketball – Bronze.
Uchenna Opkala Wrestling 75kg – Bronze
Azuwuike Chimaobi – Athletics 3000m
Uzoma Mejuru – Darts 501 men
Favor Okehie – Darts 701 men

Logistics of the team and return

After the conclusion of the NSF events, the IMO team returned to Owerri on Saturday 31 May 2024, marking the end of an intensive and experienced trip. The logistics, coordination and support of the team by the contingent leadership contributed to the relatively successful participation.

Evaluation of performance

While ending sixteenth on the national medals table may not reflect the domain of the podium, it remains a respectable result considering the strong competition and diversity of the states involved. Performance reports the potential in different areas, particularly in arrows, para sports sports and combat sports – in which the team has shown considerable resilience and technical growth.

The success of the team in events such as Chess, Golf and Wrestling, also speaks of volumes of the growing amplitude of the talent in the sports ecosystem of Imo State.

Looking to the future: Enugu 2026

The Imo team is now putting its eyes on the next edition of the National Sports Festival, which takes place in Eenugu in 2026. With a renewed optimism, state sports authorities should review the performance data, invest in further basic developments and improve training programs aimed at improving the IMO ranking in future games.

Conclusion

The 2024 Gateway Games NSF in Ogun provided a precious exposure team, competitive experience and success in the medal in multiple sports. With a total of 38 medals, the contingent has demonstrated its competitiveness and commitment for sporting excellence. When preparations begin for NSF Enugu 2026, attention must now move on to the development of early talents, improved structures and strategic support for high -performance athletes.

IMO has the talent, passion and now the experience of aiming at one of the first 10 goals, or higher, in the near future.

Post views: 15