Abuja OSOM Games begin on January 20

By Tony Nezianya

Awka, Jan. 18, 2021 (MOI) A One Service One Medal (OSOM) Games, featuring the Armed and the Paramilitary Forces will hold in Abuja, from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, a top official in the Ministry of Sports says.

Mr John Joshua Akanji, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Youth and Sports announced this at the nation’s capital, Abuja.

“The Games are to herald a re-start of other Games in the country,’’ he confirmed.

“After several postponements occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Abuja is finally set to host the OSOM Games,’’ a ministry’s statement said.

According to a statement earlier released by the Director of Grassroots Development of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Dr Ademola Are, 15 events would be completed for by members of the Armed Forces and the paramilitary. 

It said that the Minister of Youth and sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare approved the staging of OSOM Games in Abuja.

Events to be competed for include Athletics, Swimming, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Tug of War, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Chess and Squash, Scrabble.

Others are Golf, Tennis, Shooting, Table Tennis and Badminton.

While Beach Volleyball will take place at the Jabi Lake, Boxing will hold at Old Parade Ground, Area 10; Chess at Media Centre, Package A.

Golf would take off at the TYB International Golf Resorts and Country Club, Shehu Yar ‘Adua Barracks, Asokoro, Scrabble at Abuja VIP Lounge, Package A. Package B Shooting Range will play host to shooting sport; Squash at Squash Courts, Package B; Swimming takes place at the Pool of Package B, Table Tennis, at the Indoor Sports Hall, Package B.

Others are Taekwondo at the Velodrome, Package A, Tennis at Tennis Courts, Package B.

The Tug of War event would be held at the Training Pitch, Package A, with Weightlifting at the Gymnasium, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

The statement, then, added that the OSOM GAMES are being organised to foster peace, unity and sports Development among members of the Armed and the paramilitary forces in the country.

“It is also geared toward the discovery of hidden and established talents for future podium success of the country in future.. 

The event was earlier scheduled to hold late last year in Kaduna, but was postponed on account of logistics.

Sporting events were suspended early in 2020 occasioned by the ravaging Coronavirus that took the World by storm, leaving a series of deaths in the many parts of the world.

The contagion led to lockdowns adopted to stem its spread across the World.

Just as the first wave seemed to be contained, a second wave soon started forcing fresh lockdowns, while countries have been grappling with production of vaccines to deal a death knell on the contagion. The pandemic forced an initial postponement of the National Sports Festival, planned to hold in Benin, the Edo capital, which was again late last year postponed indefinitely.