Bayelsa State commissioner for sports, Honourable Daniel Igali has expressed excitement at the introduction of beach wrestling to this year’s edition of the annual grapplers’ competition in the capital, Yenagoa.
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Sports247 reports that bouts on the beach have become a major attraction at the fourth edition of Governor Douye Diri National Wrestling Classic, much to the delight of Igali, who is a former Olympic Games gold medalist.
Igali, who is also the immediate past president of Nigerian Wrestling Federation (NWF), added that the introduction of beach bouts is a landmark highlight of the week-long championship, which will end on Wednesday, April 1st.
It has also provided a platform for both elite competitors and emerging talents, which Igali cited as a significant milestone for the development of wrestling in Nigeria, considering that it has already featured at the Youth Olympic Games.
“This presents an opportunity for Nigeria to align with global trends and develop athletes capable of competing at the highest level,” said Igali, while also pointing out that beach wrestling is under consideration for the Olympic Games.
Sports247 reports that the ongoing competition, which is organised by Bayelsa State Ministry of Sports Development in collaboration with the NWF, has attracted talented wrestlers from across the country.
Although the wrestlers are competing on sand for the first time at a national championship, they delivered a series of intense and closely fought contests, from which Cross River State emerged as one of the early standout performers.
Deborah Edet Ubana set the tone with a victory over Blessing Apeh of Rivers State in the women’s 60kg division, while teammate Inah Johnson followed up with another commanding display to extend the team’s strong start.
Cross River’s medal haul was further boosted by Gabriel Ubana Edet’s gold in the men’s 55kg as well as Mbasekei Lawrence Ubi, who won bronze in the 57kg class, and Agoro Florence Sunday, who also got bronze in the women’s 49kg event.
Igali went on to describe the presence of beach wrestling in the high-profile championship as a strategic initiative to promote the sport in Nigeria and promote it for an international impact in the nearest future.
