By Hananeel Jackson
Indications are rife that Team Rivers have launched a last-hour desperate bid to displace Team Bayelsa to the third position in the overall Medals table at the 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City.
Findings by our Correspondent indicate that officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Sports and Sports Council have embarked on a frantic effort to overtake Bayelsa by all means.
Reports say this followed a threat by a very senior officer holder with the Rivers State Government who ordered the hierarchy of the State Ministry of Sports and Sports Council to ensure that they do everything possible to return to Port Harcourt as top three finishers at the end of the Festival.
In a desperate bid to actualize the sinister objective, Team Rivers officials swung into action by ensuring that some Bayelsa athletes were stripped of their gold medals.
In an instance, Swimmer Dino Barakumo was reported to have been stripped of the 4 gold and 2 silver medals he won at Edo 2020 under the guise of him not being registered for the event.
Rivers State is also in the vanguard of protesting a claim that a Kenyan, Bravin Kiprop represented Bayelsa and won gold medal in the 10,000 meters race.
At the moment, Bayelsa have been stripped of a total of 8 medals.
This situation has reportedly thrown Team Bayelsa into worry as Team Rivers officials continue the desperate bid to strip their sister state of more medals.
According to sources, Team Rivers officials are said to have been directed never to allow Bayelsa, a sister State from where Bayelsa was created on October 1, 1996, to finish ahead of the Treasure Base of the nation.
With poor preparation, Team Rivers has played second fiddle to Bayelsa from Day One of the 20th National Sports Festival which got underway on April 3, 2021.
As of the time of filing this report, Bayelsa State were holding firmly to the third position with a total of 124 medals comprising 41 gold, 40 silver, and 43 bronze while Rivers State has 87 medals consisting of 24 gold, 24 silver, and 39 bronze.
Team Delta are looking likely to retain their title as they are runaway leaders with 257 medals which is made up of 103 gold, 82 silver, and 72 bronze hosts, Edo State occupies the second position with 241 medals comprising 88 gold, 80 silver, and 73 bronze Medals.
Taraba and Jigawa are bottom in the table as they have yet to register any medal.
The Games comes to a climax on Wednesday with Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo due to declare it close.
