Team Edo has emerged overall champions of the 2025 Basic Education School Sports (BESS) South-South Zonal Competition, consolidating the state’s growing reputation as a rising force in grassroots sports development.
The second edition of the championship, hosted across three venues including Uwa Primary School, the National Sports Commission South-South Complex, Etete, and the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, featured hundreds of young athletes from primary schools across four participating states: Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. Rivers and Cross River States were absent.
Across a wide range of events including football, athletics, badminton, table tennis, Ayo, scrabble, high jump and long jump, the young contenders delivered performances marked by grit, talent and sportsmanship.
At the close of the competition, Edo State topped the medals table with an impressive 36 medals; 17 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze, earning the host state a decisive victory. Delta State placed second with 21 medals (six gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze), while Akwa Ibom secured third place with 19 medals. Bayelsa State finished fourth with a total of 10 medals.
The high point of the final ceremony came during the football event, where Team Edo overpowered their Delta counterparts 4–1 in a thrilling match that drew thunderous applause from spectators at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Governor Monday Okpebholo was honoured with an award for his outstanding commitment to sports development in Edo State, a gesture widely applauded by participants, officials and sports administrators. Many noted that his administration’s investments in basic education and sports-friendly infrastructure have created an enabling environment for competitions of this scale.
Commissioner for Education, Paddy Iyamu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Edith Ebowonyi, underscored the importance of sports in nurturing well-rounded learners. She highlighted its impact on physical fitness, mental well-being and academic performance, noting that “a sound mind lives in a sound body.”
She further emphasised the values of discipline, teamwork, social skills, time management and self-esteem that sports instill in children, describing the BESS Games as “a platform for building healthy, confident and community-minded young people.”
Executive Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Hon. Ebanieta Sonia Omonzane, praised the competition as a critical initiative for revitalising sporting culture in primary schools across the South-South region. She commended Governor Okpebholo for his unwavering support, citing the prompt payment of counterpart funds to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) as a catalyst for Edo’s educational and sports advancement.
She hailed the young athletes for their passion and sportsmanship, stressing that the Games were “not only about medals and trophies but about the journey, the friendships and the lifelong skills they develop through sports.”
The SUBEB Chair added that catching talent early remains central to building Edo’s future champions, noting that the BESS competition “is a celebration of unity, youth development and the shared strength of the South-South.”
Similarly, UBEC State Coordinator, Gloria Lawani, speaking on behalf of UBEC Abuja, commended the Governor for approving and supporting the competition. She described sports as an integral component of early-childhood education and essential for talent discovery, urging the state to sustain the initiative.
The ceremony culminated in the presentation of financial rewards to the top three teams by Governor Okpebholo. Akwa Ibom, which placed third, received ₦500,000; Delta State earned ₦1 million for their second-place finish; while Edo, the overall winner, was awarded ₦1.5 million in recognition of its outstanding performance.
