Government Secondary School (GSS), Karu, and Junior Secondary School Gwarko have won the maiden Federal Territory (FCT) Schools Sports Festival, which featured schools from Abuja and its environs.
GSS Karu won the senior category of the competition, which featured 15 schools, with 10 gold, five silver, and one bronze medal, while JSS Gwarko won the junior category which had 18 schools with four gold, four silver, and one bronze medal.
The prestigious boys’ football title was won by JSS Jabi 1, which beat JSS Orozo 2-0, with Miracle Musa and Okasha Usman as the goals scorers.
The girls’ football title went to GGSS Dutse, which defeated GSS Karu 5-4 on penalties after regulation time ended 1-1.
At the competition, put together by Ratels Sports Development Foundation (RSDF) in collaboration with Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the winners were given prizes and scholarships to study either within or outside the country.
Speaking at the end of the competition, RSDF President, Paul Edeh, said inter-school championships encourage young boys and girls to combine sports and education to better their lives.
Edeh said: “We have this challenge with overaged players. Indeed, we have a situation where some desperate players and those that will seek to represent us go as far as changing and doctoring their ages.
“I believe we did not have this problem when the school system was the avenue for players’ selection.
“What we are doing here today will take us back to that glory days, when students and children of proper ages will be picked by our national team coaches.
“Even those involved in ensuring that we grow sports like football, volleyball, basketball, and the general sports will incline themselves to come back to the drawing board like we have done so that the best of the best with their right ages can also be selected.”
Also speaking at the event, the Director of School Sports in the FCT, Mallam Hashimu Adamu Ojah, said the competition is aimed at developing young athletes, who will become future sports heroes.
Ojah said: “It is my firm conviction that government alone cannot do it all… we must all rise up to build a guaranteed future for our nation through diligent development of our students in all ways possible in view of our declining values in the society.
“Our partnership with Ratels Sports Development Foundation will enable our students to gain national and international recognition through winning laurels and impacting the sports world to everybody’s delight.”
