The 7 Guards Battalion of Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, on Friday January 24, 2020 emerged the overall winners of the Guards Brigade Sports week, a feat they are achieving for the 3rd year running under the Command of Lt. Col Muktar Sani Daroda as Commanding Officer.
The Battalion secured the 1st position with 46 points followed by 176 Battalion who took 2nd position with 44 points and Guards Brigade Garrison who came 3rd with 38 points. 177 Guards Battalion came 4th with 36 points while 102 Battalion took 5th position with 31 points.
Fourteen sporting events were keenly competed for at the weeklong event at the Aguiyi Ironsi Sports complex, including Football, Basketball, Handball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Boxing, Lawn Tennis, Badminton, Judo, Squash, Taekwondo, Cross Country and Combat Relay Race while there was an invitational Inter-Agency Relay Race.
Guest of Honour at the closing ceremony and Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, expressed satisfaction with the high level of competition displayed by all the sportsmen and women.
Aduda who watched 3 very entertaining boxing finals including the 75 category for men, and the women’s finals, described the Guards Brigade sports week as a veritable event where new talents can be discovered owing to the tough commitment of participants to win.
“Let me commend the Commander, Guards Brigade, for remaining steadfast in organizing these sporting competitions and discovering talents inspire of the Brigade’s very busy schedule of performing Presidential assignments and securing the Federal Capital Territory and environs” he said.
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Welcoming participants and guests, Commander, Guards Brigade, Brigadier General Mohammed Takuti Usman disclosed that the weeklong sporting event which commenced on Monday 20 January 2020 is one of the series of training activities outlined in the Brigade forecast of events for the year 2020.
“The sports week is designed to provide robust physical fitness and mental health of personnel of the Brigade. It is also platforms where talented as well as potential sports men and women of the Brigade will be discovered”, he said.
The Brigade Commander whose speech was earlier read by Lt. Col MS Daroda before he arrived from the Presidential Villa, added, “This year’s sports week introduced Cross Country, Combat Relay Race and Inter-Agency Relay Race, thereby bringing in a military aspect into the event.
He said, “The Taekwondo event in the Brigade Sports week, was used to introduce the use of the latest Taekwondo technology in Nigeria – ‘The Daedo Gen 11’ which eliminates unfair officiating and ensures an efficient competition system”.
Brig Gen Ussman added that the introduction of the Daedo Gen 11 was made possible by efforts of the Association of Taekwondo Federation of Nigeria.
The Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Major General JGK Myan and the DG of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Suiabu Ibrahim were among other representatives of the Police and Para-military agencies who presented trophies and medals to winners.
Speaking after the trophy presentations, the CO of 7 Guards Battalion, Lt. Col Daroda noted that victory of soldiers of the Battalion is a result of the spirit of togetherness in training and hardworking.
“This victory which is the 3rd in three years will continue to inspire the troops to work harder and sustain higher level of physical fitness for the task ahead.
END
