Itunu Medigbon of Fate/Basin Junior Secondary School and Tijani Fawaz of Yuslat College, Ilorin on Saturday emerged champions of the maiden edition of Kwara State Inter-Schools Darts tournament in the female and male categories respectively.
The tournament, which held at the Darts Hall of the International Tobacco Company Club House was organized by Mrs Abdulkareem Rashidat, who is the Zonal Representative, North Central Zone on the Board of the Darts Federation of Nigeria.
Students from five selected secondary schools, both public and private participated in the three-day contest, which began with lectures on the technicalities of the game.
The schools are Fate/Basin Junior Secondary School, Ilorin, Yuslat College, Ilorin, Government Day Secondary School, Pakata, Madi Community Secondary School and Government day Junior Secondary School, Alore.
In the female category, Itunu Medigbon of Fate/Basin Junior Secondary School defeated Fatimoh Mohammed of the same school to win gold, while the duo of Sulaiman Khadijat of Yuslat College and Abdulkabir Habibat, also of Fate/Basin won joint third medals.
Tijani Fawaz of Yuslat College also defeated Isiaq Fatiu of GDSS, Alore in the male final, with Daniel Abraham of Fate/Basin and Fatiu Mohammed of Madi Community Secondary School winning the joint third place medals.
The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Mallam Bola Mogaji commended the Organizer, even as he pledged government’s continuous support to sports development, especially t the grassroots.
He however, lamented the lack of sporting facilities in schools, as he appealed to the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, to bridge the gap, especially now that Kwara has a sports loving Governor.
Earlier in her speech, the Representative of the North Central on the Board of the Darts Federation of Nigeria, Mrs Abdulkareem Rashidat, who described darts as a game of mental exercise that requires skills and determination, commended all those that made the tournament a huge success.
She said that the game is gradually gaining ground, because of its inclusion in the National Sports Festival and the National Youth Games, adding that efforts aa developing it from the grassroots becomes imperative.
According to her, the aim of organizing the competition was to further create more awareness, particularly at the grassroots level, and also, to encourage the young ones, in order to comform with the philosophy of “catch them young”.
She added that part of the aims of organizing the tournament was also to reduce or curb social vices which is rampant among the younger ones.
Among those present at the final are the Patron of the association in the state, Tpl Alabi Amuda, Elder Ayo Samuel, Police PPRO, SP Ajayi Akasanmi, Mr Sulaiman Yusuf of ASSPO, Director at the Sports Commission, mallam Shola Shehu, Mr. Dele Oguntokun and a host of others, some of whom appreciated the winners with cash gifts.
