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August 28, (THEWILL) — The Akwa Ibom State Government has unveiled plans for the 2025 State Sports Festival, a week-long event designed to discover talents, promote sports tourism, and empower young people in line with Governor Umo Eno’s ARISE Agenda.
At a media briefing on Thursday inside the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Main Organising Committee, Elder Paul Bassey, announced that the festival will hold from September 8 to 13, 2025, across designated venues in the state.
Bassey described the event as a practical expression of the governor’s sports blueprint. He said the festival will feature 18 sporting events, including athletics, swimming, wrestling, taekwondo, boxing, judo, karate, weightlifting, squash, chess, scrabble, table tennis, and paralympic sports.
Team events such as football, basketball, volleyball, handball, and beach volleyball will also be contested at federal constituency level.
A symbolic Unity Torch Relay is scheduled to begin on August 29 at Government House, Uyo, where it will be flagged off by the governor.
The torch will tour all 31 local government areas before its final reception at the opening ceremony on September 8.
Bassey stressed that the festival is not only about competition but also about positioning Akwa Ibom as a key player in the global sports tourism industry, currently valued at $565bn and projected to hit $1tn by 2031.
“This initiative is deeply rooted in the ARISE Agenda, which identifies sports development and sports tourism as key pillars for youth empowerment and economic growth,” he said.
According to the committee, at least 3,600 athletes are expected to participate. Local government chairmen have been directed to groom and present contingents, while facilities such as the Uyo Olympic-size swimming pool, the Ikot Ekpene and Eket sports complexes, and the new Arise Park sports facilities have been approved for use.
For the first time in 14 years, the government has also approved the procurement of new sports equipment to support the competition.
Akwa Ibom, which already hosts the Super Eagles and boasts one of Africa’s finest stadiums, hopes the festival will further strengthen its reputation as Nigeria’s hub for sporting excellence and tourism.
The briefing climaxed with the unveiling of the official logo of the 2025 Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival, which the Commissioner for Sports described as “the Akwa Ibom Olympic Games.”
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