By; Sunny Canto
Incredible job and historical milestone achievement for the Nigeria Wrestling Federation under the leadership of Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR) and his board members in the newly introduced Beach Wrestling event.
The glamorous and remarkable One Day sporting program stage on the sand with hundreds of Wrestlers competing fiercely and fairly eventually climax at 6:45pm which thrilled enthusiasts at the Bayelsa Medical University venue, off Imgibi road, Yenagoa the State capital.
Meanwhile, the U-15 to U-17 age championship that gathered legendary wrestlers; coaches; umpires and officials was a successful outing that witnessed a massive turnout and followers via online livestream channels throughout the event.
While addressing Journalists on the sideline; the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports Development; Honorable Daniel Igali (OLY); said, "We applaud his Excellency Senator Douyi Diri (Bayelsa State Governor) and Nigerian Wrestling Federation for creating this platform so that our Youths can excel also, ensuring the discovered talents are harness for future representation.
Igali added, "Our priority is for these Wrestlers to grow and develop their innate abilities, enhance their skills and have a brighter future as global champions because Beach Wrestling has already been featured in the Youth Olympics and is being considered by the International Wrestling Federation for inclusion in future Olympic Games.
“This is an opportunity for Nigeria to key into a growing global sport and develop athletes that can compete internationally,” he said.
Earlier, the United World Wrestling members during the Technical Meeting opined that the technical session was aimed to abreast and enhance thorough understanding of the latest rules of the sport as representatives of various states, military and paramilitary institutions and wrestling clubs gathered to learn some of the latest updates about the sport.
The Wold Olympic Gold medalist said, "In a national tournament of this nature, you have the technical session a day before to acquaint coaches and even athletes on how you will officiate. The updated rules and how coaches and athletes are expected to behave.
So, the technical session is a critical component of a competition of this magnitude and I'm quite impressed with the delivery of the referees and not forgetting we have about 30 referees for this tournament which is more than enough to execute a lasting legacy of this 2025 championship."
"We are very ready. I think this is about the most ready we can be and I'm looking forward to a very exciting and wrestling magic in this one week."
In the Male 65kg finals bout, Bayelsa Terry Godfred exceptional skills earn him a victory over Emmanuel Okiki of Ngobere Club as Gabriel Edet from Cross River fall-short to Delta Martin Godswill in the Male 55kg.
In the Women category, talented Priscilla Archbong showed prowess in beating Imomotime Tariere of Dynamite Club in the Female 49kg and Ayo Esewi, a prodigy from Edo State narrowly lost to Helen Peters during the 57kg finals.
Expectedly, there's a jury reviewing all the bouts and giving public announcement as well as guidance to the Thirty Referee's that are under the leadership of Mr. Okachukwu Nwosu.
While the presence of International Referee like: Lt. Col. (Dr.) Okou Timipre, the Technical Director; Mr. Damian Ohakime and experienced umpires like Usman Yusuf, Basilia Anyawu among others are icing on the cake.
Vice President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Mr. Chris Amkpila, also emphasized the importance of the tournament in talent discovery and athlete development.
He explained that competitions such as the Governor Douye Diri Wrestling Classic provide a platform for young wrestlers to showcase their abilities and attract national and international scouts.
“We are going to identify the talents here, nurture them, and take them to the international level,” Amkpila stated.
Speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Okou Femedein Timipre, an International certified Referee and Executive Secretary of the International Military Sports Council Defence Headquarters, Abuja, described the event as a strategic effort to popularize the sport.
He noted that Beach Wrestling remains relatively new but holds strong potential for global growth and athletes from Nigeria, Africa are vying for podium finishes.
“This competition is helping to introduce Beach Wrestling to the public and promote it as a sport that can gain worldwide acceptance,” he added.
The Governor Douye Diri Wrestling Classic has grown steadily since inception, with Bayelsa State continuing to position itself as a major hub for wrestling development in Nigeria and Africa.
Gracing the mouth-watering and colorful occasion are NWF board members; Bayelsa State Government representatives as well as very important personalities in the Sport industry and other guests from other professionals.
