Enugu state witnessed a beehive of sporting activities on Tuesday, February 26th 2025, as states in the South East zone began their quest to book tickets at the fast approaching 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games in Ogun state.

In what was a very successful day one of the South East Zonal Elimination for Team Sports, fans and officials enjoyed different quality of actions at the various match centres.

The actions were adequately spread across various Sporting centres in the city. From the Indoor Sports hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium where Basketball is holding, to the outdoor courts where Handball and Volleyball are taking place, to the Sports Centre of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, where Cricket and Hockey are being played and finally to the Rangers Training Ground where male and female football is holding.

In women Cricket, Ebonyi and Abia states were the first to book their spots in Abeokuta after security the two available spots in the zone.Ebonyi however defeated Abia for the top spot finishing with 81 runs in six overs with lost of one wicket while Abia had 38 runs in six overs with lost of two wickets.

In Male Basketball , Enugu could not capitalise on home support as they lost to Imo state 28 - 22 points while Abia state showed total dominance with a 43-28 points win over Anambra state. It was a similar dominance Anambra showed against Ebonyi   in the Female category winning with 37-11 points 

At the outdoor Court of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, in Male Volleyball, Abia State continue their impressive showing with a convincing 3-0 over Enugu state while Anambra state also showed similar form, beating Imo state with the same score line 3-0.

Matches are expected to climax on Thursday in the various Team Sports, where all the qualified states in the South East zone will be confirmed and sealed for the Sports Festival billed to hold from May 16-30 2025 in Ogun state.