Thrills and fanfare as Kwara SWAN 2024 media games end in Ilorin
The 2024 edition of the Kwara SWAN Games took centre stage on Thursday with thrilling sporting events, drawing members of the association across Media houses in the State.
The activities were kicked off with accreditation of participants at the Taiwo Awoniyi Sports Media Centre before they made their ways to venues of the games.
The first event of day saw the former Chairman of Kwara SWAN, Bunmi Adedoyin of Radio Kwara defeating Yemi Sodeeq of Sportspro News in the Squash singles event 2-0 to open the flood gates of action.
Another event which drew more participants is Badminton Sports with Yusuf Mutiu of Inside Kwara (Online) defeating Bolaji Yusuf of Kwara TV 2-0 in the men’s singles event while Babatunde Jimba of Kwara TV outclassed Aiyelabegan Abdulrasaq of Just Event Online Media in the second match.
It was a smooth ride for Nusirat Popoola of Kwara TV in the Badminton female Singles event as she walked over her opponent, Hanifat Ismail of Just Event Online media. In Table Tennis, Olayinka Owolewa of Correspondent Chapel triumphed over Razaq Lawal of Radio Nigeria in a nail-biting 3-2 match.
In the female scrabble final event, Bushrah Yusuf of Correspondent Chapel won with 2+185 in best of three games, while Ahmed Alabere of Information communication division won 2+137 in the best of three games.
The activities was climaxed with a novelty match between Kwara SWAN and Veterans at the KFA Pitch.
In the football match, Kwara SWAN clinched a narrow 1-0 victory over Veterans FC of Ilorin.
The decisive moment came when Yinka Owolewa found the back of the net, securing a hard-fought win for Paul Odeh’s side. The younger and more agile Kwara SWAN team, featuring players like Young Sturaro, Oladimeji Magaji, Peteru Odelana, Yemi Sodeeq, and Sodiq Adebara, proved too strong for the Veterans, whose lineup included seasoned but slower players such as Razaq Owolabi Wopa and Ahmed Olaide.
Despite tactical adjustments and motivational talks from Bashir Badawiy, the Veterans couldn’t break through SWAN’s resolute defense. Late efforts by Owolewa to extend the lead were thwarted, but SWAN held on for the win.
The event ended with presentation of medals to winners and runners up across several sporting event.
The event was proudly supported by Senator Saliu Mustapha, Hon. Rukayat Shittu, Rotamedics, Kwara Sports Commission, FEMTECH, and Cyteck Engineering. Participants from various media houses in the state came together to celebrate a successful and memorable week of sportsmanship.
The SWAN Games serve as an avenue for sports writers to engage in sporting activities with a view to promote healthy lifestyle and deepen relationship among the professionals.
