Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has rewarded wrestlers from the state that won medals at the 13th National Wrestling Classics held last weekend at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Bayelsa emerged overall winners of the wrestling championship, which was the third sponsored by Governor Diri.
Each gold medalist got N500,000, silver medalists N200,000 and bronze medalists N100,000 each.
Senator Diri presented the cash awards to the winners on Thursday morning shortly after the weekly Prosperity Walk programme at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex.
He also rewarded Team Bayelsa with the sum of N2 million while the Dynamite Wrestling Club in the state that came third got N1 million.
The Bayelsa governor said the gesture was to encourage and motivate athletes to continue to excel in future championships.
He directed the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali, who is also President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, to haunt for young talents at the grassroots in the quest to produce future champions.
He said: “l congratulate all winners in the wrestling championship. Wrestling is indigenous to Bayelsa State. So it should continue to maintain its first position. All of our competitors must come tops at national events, especially in wrestling and other combat sports.
“Government is appreciating all our gold medalists in the wrestling competition with the sum of N500,000, silver medalists N200,000 and bronze medalists N100,000.
“I have been talking with Blessing Oborududu, the Olympic silver medalist, who has made a mark in wrestling, to mentor and train young ones that will take over from her upon retirement.”
The goveror noted that his administration had already reached out to top athletes, including Oborududu, to fish out talents across the local government areas in order to train them to win laurels at state, national and international levels.
In his remarks, Hon. Daniel Igali said 25 states and 11 clubs participated in the national wrestling classics.
Presenting the winners and their trophies, Igali said Bayelsa came first in Greco-Roman and freestyle categories as well as in the female category.
He added that the state also came tops in all categories while a Bayelsa wrestler emerged as the outstanding competitor in Greco-Roman style.
