•Gateway Games 2024
The 22nd National Sports Festival, known as the Gateway Games 2024 and currently taking place in Ogun State, sees Bayelsa State leading the medal tally with a total of 53 medals so far.
Bayelsa’s haul includes 30 gold, 12 silver, and 11 bronze medals, reflecting strong performances across multiple sports such as athletics, swimming, and wrestling, reports The Guardian.
Delta State also holds 53 medals but is placed second due to having fewer gold medals, with 20 gold, 8 silver, and 25 bronze. Rivers State is in third place with 28 medals, including 11 gold, 9 silver, and 8 bronze.
Other notable performances came from Oyo State, which won 29 medals (9 gold, 7 silver, 13 bronze), Osun with 19 medals (8 gold, 1 silver, 10 bronze), and Lagos, which amassed 31 medals (7 gold, 8 silver, 16 bronze). Edo State achieved the highest total medals with 58 but ranked sixth due to only 6 gold medals, accompanied by 22 silver and 30 bronze.
Smaller states also made their mark at the festival. Akwa Ibom and Plateau each won 10 medals, while Cross River and Abia secured 5 and 15 medals respectively.
The Invited Junior Athlete (IJA) category earned 6 medals, indicating a growing pool of young talent for the future of Nigerian sports.
Some states struggled to reach the podium, with Anambra, Niger, Ekiti, Kwara, Ondo, Bauchi, Kaduna, and Benue each winning four medals or fewer, and several failing to capture any gold medals. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) finished with 7 medals, including 5 bronze.
The Gateway Games 2024 celebrated athletic excellence while also drawing attention to the need for greater investment in sports infrastructure and athlete development across Nigeria.
Bayelsa’s strong showing has set a benchmark for other states to intensify their training programs and support for emerging athletes.
See the final medal standings from the festival summarised below:
