A nine-day 22nd edition of the basic school inter-district sports festival is underway at the Yendi Senior High School sports oval in the Yendi Municipality of Northern Region.

Twenty-six basic schools are competing in soccer, handball, netball, volleyball, table tennis, and athletics and cross-country.

Some of the competing basic schools are from the Tamale Metropolitan, Yendi Municipal, Bole district, East Mamprusi District, Nanumba North Municipal, Tatale/Sanguli District, Sawla /Tuna / Kalba District, Mion District among others,

In an address read on his behalf, Mr Salifu Saeed the Northern Regional Minister indicated that the essence of the competition was to promote and enhance a strong bond of friendship, brotherhood and love among the sports boys and girls.

It is also to offer them the opportunity to select a formidable team for the region.

He announced that the teams would represent the region in the upcoming inter-regional sports festival in Koforidua from August 24 to September 2, this year.

He hoped that the selected athletes would be dedicated, respectful and obedient ambassadors of the region and noted that physical education if well planned and effectively taught in the schools could help retain the school going age and rid out cities and towns of dropouts.

Mr Saeed reminded them to give equal attention to both their academic work and co-curricular activities to become victorious in life and said sportsmen and women in the country such as Abedi Pele, Adjoa Bayor, Azuma Nelson, Stephen Appiah, Mubarak Wakaso, Sulley, Muntari and a whole lot of others, all started their sporting career like them and through discipline, hard work and determination they made it to greater heights.

He urged them to respect the rules and regulations of the competition and not to take the law into their own hands.

In the opening football match between Yendi and East Gonja, Yendi beat East Gonja one–nil