Chief Justice Tanko Mohammed Tuesday declared the 27th edition of the annual Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) sports competition open at the Samson Siasia sports complex, Yenagoa.

Sports teams from courts and other judicial bodies around the country are expected to compete at the event.

At the flag-off, Mr Mohammed urged judicial workers to be actively involved in sports to avert health challenges, given the sedentary nature of their jobs.

This is the first time the fiesta is holding in Bayelsa and hosted by the Bayelsa State judiciary.

The CJN who was represented by the chief judge of Bayelsa, Kate Abiri, urged states’ judiciary to take the competition seriously, urging participants to also exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship.

Earlier, the president of the National Sports Association for Judiciary, Emeka Ndili, applauded Bayelsa for hosting the event, expressing the hope that the competition would be memorable.

In his remarks, the governor of Bayelsa, Douye Diri, pledged the administration’s readiness to invest in sport development, given the huge achievements recorded by the state’s athletes in various sporting competitions.

The governor was represented by the secretary to the state government, Konbowei Benson.

The opening ceremony featured a colourful march past by the participating teams with the National Judicial Institute emerging winner, clinching the first medal of the competition.

In the opening football match, host, Team Bayelsa, upset the Supreme Court Team by a lone goal.

The participating judicial bodies, affiliated courts and states’ judiciary are taking part in 11 sporting events at the fiesta billed to end on September 30.