The Jigawa State Sports Council has concluded plans to revive eight games hitherto neglected in order to promote unity and the spirit of sportsmanship among the state’s teeming youths, an official said.

The council’s Director, Jafaru Shuaibu, disclosed this to newsmen on Monday, in Dutse.

He listed the games as volleyball, basketball, weightlifting, hockey, badminton, kokowa (local wrestling), dambe (local boxing) and langa (one-legged race).

Shuaibu pointed out that emphasis had been placed on football above other sports in the state and the country at large.

“Football is not the only game our youths can engage in to keep them busy and earn a living in. In fact, football is not the only game that can be competed for locally, nationally or internationally.

“However, in most places you find that we abandoned most of the aforementioned games, including our traditional games which are being competed for nationally and internationally.

“So, that is why our council saw the need to revive these neglected games in Jigawa,’’ he said.

To achieve this, the director said the council, in collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, had organised a one-day workshop.

“This was to enable us revive and develop the selected games.”

According to him, the workshop was organised for Heads of Community Development and Sports Officers of the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

Shuaibu said the training was to enable the Heads of Departments and their respective sports officers find ways through which the selected games could be revived and developed from the grassroots.

“To this end, we’ve agreed to organise inter-local governments competition in the eight selected games in the three senatorial districts of the state,” he said.

The council director said Babura LGA in the state’s north-west was selected while Hadejia LGA in the north-east and Dutse LGA in the north-central were selected.

“LGAs will participate according to their senatorial district, and this will be like a talent-hunt where players in each of the games will be sourced for at the grassroots.

“In fact, this exercise will definitely lead to discovery of new talents, because competitions organised from the grassroots always snowball into discovery of talents.

“At the end of the exercise, it is from the list of participating youths the council will select the best and form a team for the state in each of the games.

“These teams will go on to represent the state in any competition, be it locally, nationally or internationally,’’ Shuaibu said.(NAN)