There was pandemonium on Saturday immediately after the commencement of the opening ceremony of the 7th National Youth Games (NYG) in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
The pandemonium followed the sudden collapse of a gate to the main bowl of the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on a middle-aged woman said to be one of the athletes.
The victim, SaharaReporters gathered was immediately rushed in an ambulance to a yet-to-be-disclosed medical facility within the capital city.
According to eyewitness accounts, the condition of the victim could not be handled by medical personnel at the clinic stationed at the stadium for the ongoing National Youth games.
Last week before the commencement of the National Youths Games in Asaba, the state capital, some Delta State athletes camped for the National Youth Games (NYG) had protested against what they termed “poor feeding conditions, poor water and electricity supply as well as unhygienic environment” in their camp in Delta State.
The young males and females athletes who are between the ages of 10 to 20 had accused the chairman of the state Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa and officials of the commission of taking advantage of them to amass wealth saying he never bothered about their welfare especially in the areas of good food, water and electricity supply in their camp.
The athletes had also accused the commission’s chairman, Tonobok Okowa, who is the younger brother to the immediate past governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa and one Festus Owhojero, director of Audit department of awarding the cooking contracts in the athletes camps and supply of other consumable items to their sisters, wives, relations and girlfriends.