Team Akwa Ibom recorded their best performance in the history of the Niger Delta Games after finishing fourth at the second edition held in Benin City. The state amassed a total of 55 medals, including 16 gold, 17 silver and 22 bronze, securing its highest-ever placement in the regional competition. Host state Edo emerged overall champions, Delta finished second, while Bayelsa placed third in a closely contested Games.

The fourth-place finish marks a significant improvement from the maiden edition, where Akwa Ibom ended sixth with 37 medals. The latest outing reflects the steady growth of sports in the state and the increasing competitiveness of its athletes across multiple disciplines.

Athletics was one of the major contributors to the medal haul, producing fourteen medals, including four gold, five silver and five bronze. David Udoh stood out with three gold medals in the men’s 400 metres, the 4×400 metres relay and the 4×400 metres mixed relay, playing a key role in the team’s success on the track.

Weightlifting also delivered twelve medals, comprising seven gold, two silver and three bronze. Samuel Cosmos Sampson emerged as one of the most decorated athletes of the Games, winning three gold medals in his category.

Taekwondo produced nine medals in total, including one gold, three silver and five bronze, highlighting the team’s depth across both sparring and poomsae events. Boxing accounted for four medals, including two gold and two bronze, reflecting solid performances in both male and female categories.

Tennis was also a major success for the state, delivering four medals, three of which were gold and one silver, making it one of the state’s most successful sports at the Games. Para-powerlifting contributed three medals, two silver and one bronze, while traditional wrestling produced two medals, one gold and one bronze. Wrestling added one bronze medal.

Table tennis added two silver medals, and Scrabble contributed three medals, one silver and two bronze. Swimming recorded one bronze medal, marking a historic breakthrough for the state in the sport.

Athletes who spoke after the Games attributed the improved performance to the strong support of Governor Umo Eno. They explained that the purchase of new equipment greatly enhanced their final weeks of preparation and contributed positively to their performances.

In separate remarks, the athletes also praised the well-coordinated State Liaison Committee headed by the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey. They noted that the committee ensured a seamless flow of activities from preparation to participation at the Games, with no hitches recorded.

The active presence at competition venues by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sports, Mrs Rosemary Ubia, and the Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, during the event, was also widely commended. Both officials toured venues consistently, cheering and motivating athletes, a gesture described as encouraging and morale-boosting.

With this historic fourth-place finish and record medal tally, Team Akwa Ibom has firmly established itself as a rising force in regional sports and will look ahead with confidence to future editions of the Niger Delta Games.

For captain Liam Farrell, this is a 17th Super League campaign with the Cherry-and-Whites.

He has a cupboard full of silverware but it does not stop the 35-year-old from wiping the slate clean every year and going again.

Farrell has stepped into the centres after an early injury to Jake Wardle and he has noticed how quickly his side has come out of the traps.

“I am hoping it’s only the start,” he said. “It’s not usually a good sign if you’re playing so well at the beginning of the year.

“I’m hoping we’re going to improve from this. That’s a scary thought if we’re going to improve from here.

“Hopefully we do. We’ll take on the year and see where we end up.”

And if Wigan can step it up from these early weeks, that indeed is a scary prospect for Super League’s other 13 clubs.

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is fast approaching, with racing fans and punters alike counting down the days until top-class jumps action returns to Prestbury Park.

The festival, spread out over four action-packed days, is one of the biggest betting events of the year and betting sites often save their best betting offers for Cheltenham.

The Independent’s team of gambling experts have put together a guide to the best Cheltenham free bets at online bookmakers, and taken a look at the different types of Cheltenham offers available and how to use them efficiently.

Cheltenham Festival offers take various forms, with horse racing betting sites running a variety of promotions during the meeting. Free bets are just one type of Cheltenham betting offer, and we’ve looked into the different types of promos bettors can expect during the festival.

Free Bets: Cheltenham free bet offers may come as part of a welcome bonus, or are available to existing customers via bet and get schemes, which involve a punter wagering a certain amount on a selected event to unlock a free bet.

Enhanced Odds/Price Boosts: Enhanced odds and price boosts are simply Cheltenham odds that have been improved (or enhanced) ahead of races. Bookmakers may choose to boost the price of a single horse or improve the odds on a multiple.

Non-Runner No Bet: Non-Runner No Bet is a feature that some bookies provide that stipulates that your bet will be voided – and your stake returned – if the horse you wagered on doesn’t run for whatever reason. These are particularly popular for those looking to have an ante-post bet on Cheltenham.

Best Odds Guaranteed: Best Odds Guaranteed is available from the majority of online bookmakers during Cheltenham. It guarantees that if you take an early price on a horse and the starting price (SP) is higher, the bookmaker will pay out at the better odds if your horse wins.

Money-Back Specials: Cheltenham offers various forms of money-back specials. They can involve a bookmaker refunding all losing bets on a certain race, or may require a punter’s selection to finish in a certain position to qualify for reimbursement. The most common type of money-back offer is the 2nd to the SP favourite promotion, which is available during Cheltenham and throughout the year in the UK and Ireland.

Bettors should always read the terms and conditions of any Cheltenham free bet offer before opting in.

Here are some of the T&Cs to keep an eye out for:

Minimum deposits: These may range anywhere from as low as £5 up to £50, depending on the betting site and your chosen promotion.

Odds Requirements: Free bets for Cheltenham may have a minimum odds requirement, or a minimum number of selections if you’re required to place a multiple.

Wagering requirements: Some bookmakers have introduced wagering requirements for free bet offers. This means punters may have to wager any winnings from free bets a certain number of times before it becomes cash and can be withdrawn.

Free bet types: Check which bet types you receive from a free bet offer. Some bookmakers will limit a free bet to a certain sport or bet type, such as a bet builder.

Bettors are spoilt for choice during Cheltenham when it comes to betting offers, but some are definitely better than others.

Here’s our guide to finding the right Cheltenham Festival offers:

It can take time and practice to learn how to bet on horses. Bettors are reminded to wager only what they are willing to lose and to keep betting on Cheltenham fun.

For those wanting to bet on Cheltenham, here are five key considerations:

The bookies have mixed feelings following this week’s news that Constitution Hill has been ruled out of Cheltenham 2026.

The New Lion has since become the 2/1 Champion Hurdle favourite, with Constitution Hill now odds-on to land Group/Grade Flat prize in 2026 instead.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “Jumps fans were on cloud nine last Friday night when Constitution Hill romped home at Southwell, full of hope that the former Champion Hurdler would take his chance at redemption in two weeks’ time.

“However, with Nicky Henderson ruling him out of the Festival, the story has taken yet another turn.”

Meanwhile, Hills have revealed which Cheltenham Festival handicappers are making them sweat in the lead-up to this year’s event.

McLaurey, Backmersackme, Koktail Divin and The Yellow Clay have all shortened in the handicap betting this week.

“With the weights for the Cheltenham Festival handicaps just revealed, there are some well-handicapped horses that we think have been let in lightly,” added spokesperson Lee Phelps.

“As a result, we’ve seen some interest already, and enough to see some notable market moves. McLaurey has the option of the Plate and the Jack Richards, and we are very wary of the JP McManus-owned chaser.

“He looks to have a nice mark and has shortened from 6/1 from 8/1 for both options as a result. Koktail Divin is another shortener in the Jack Richards – he’s into 8/1 from 10/1.”

Betting should only ever be considered a form of entertainment – it will never be a sure-fire way to make money.

When taking advantage of Cheltenham Festival betting offers, assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford. Betting can also be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.

Make sure you use the safer gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. The same applies if you’re gambling on casino apps, poker sites, bingo sites or any other type of betting site.

If you have gambling-related concerns, then seek independent help. There are several UK charities and institutions that offer support, advice and information, with a few listed below:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Dr. Marc Siegel called for compassion and empathy toward John Davidson following the controversy surrounding Davidson’s gaffe at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards. He did this during his latest appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored podcast (a clip of which was shared to X on February 27).

In the clip, Siegel addressed the backlash that followed Davidson’s on-stage incident, urging the public to better understand the mental health risks associated with Tourette syndrome.

“We need to have compassion and empathy for this man. Because you know what? (It is) Four times more likely for people to commit suicide with Tourette’s. You should be ashamed on the panel for not knowing that 50% of Tourette’s adults are thinking of suicide,” he said.

For context, John Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 25, has long lived with tics that include involuntary vocal outbursts. His experiences inspired the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear.

At the 79th BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, February 22, Davidson involuntarily shouted the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the first award of the evening.

The moment led Davidson to face backlash as it was not edited out of the BBC One broadcast, which aired on a two-hour delay, and it remained available on BBC iPlayer until the ceremony was later removed.

Addressing the criticism Davidson faced for his involuntary outburst, Siegel stressed that the public reaction lacked empathy.

He also pointed to what he described as a historical irony in Davidson’s career. Siegel noted that John Davidson’s first BBC film in 1989 was titled John’s Not Mad, underscoring that while Davidson’s vocal tics sounded shocking or uncontrolled, they were not a reflection of his mental state.

“Isn’t it ironic that his (John Davidson’s) very first film in 1989 with BBC was called John’s Not Mad? That’s the point…He’s sounding mad, but he’s not really mad,” he said.

Further explaining how Tourette syndrome worked neurologically, Siegel said that John Davidson’s involuntary outbursts were not deliberate choices.

“We all have those words in our vocabulary. His brain is choosing one that he doesn’t intend to say or is not even thinking,” Siegel added

Expanding his remarks to include others living with Tourette syndrome, Siegel argued that people with the condition deserved “compassion,” “empathy,” and “understanding,” rather than what he characterized as “spewing pseudoscience.”

Piers Morgan defends John Davidson amid the latter’s BAFTA controversy

In the aforementioned video clip, broadcaster Piers Morgan weighed in on the controversy surrounding John Davidson’s outburst at the 79th BAFTA Film Awards, which Davidson later attributed to his Tourette’s syndrome.

The incident sparked significant backlash, with some critics questioning the nature of his remarks and whether they reflected deeper prejudice.

Morgan addressed the reaction head-on, arguing that some figures in Hollywood had unfairly rushed to label Davidson. He suggested that actor Jamie Foxx and some others had implied Davidson “must be a closet racist” because of what he said during the ceremony.

“People like Jamie Foxx seem to have got it into their heads that he must be a closet racist, otherwise he would never say these things,” Morgan added.

Morgan went on to criticize what he described as a broader misunderstanding of Tourette syndrome. He argued that many commentators had failed to grasp how the neurological condition could cause involuntary verbal outbursts, including inappropriate or offensive language.

“It’s such a stupid failure to understand what the condition is. And it comes from people in Hollywood who never stop preaching about the need to, you know, they constantly preach identity politics,” Morgan said.

He further accused members of the entertainment industry of hypocrisy. According to Morgan, Hollywood figures frequently called for empathy and compassion, and “virtue signal about everything left, right and center,” yet failed to extend that same understanding to Davidson during what he described as an intensely difficult period.

Morgan also referenced the newly released film, inspired by Davidson’s life with Tourette’s, and how it centered specifically on the neurological disease. According to Morgan, the film made “crystal clear” the realities of the condition and “what the issues” were.

“And yet none of them appear to have watched it. None of them appear to care. And they’re quite happy to go public and spray gun this guy in a really dark moment for him, where he knows he knows how big a deal this was,” Morgan added

He further noted that John Davidson had been “really suffering” in the aftermath of the incident, based on his public statements.

However, rather than attempting to calm the situation or demonstrate empathy, Morgan concluded that several people in Hollywood had effectively “lined up to kick him” while he was already under immense scrutiny.

As per a Variety report dated February 24, John Davidson sought to make amends following the fallout.

His team confirmed that he had reached out to the studio behind “Sinners” to personally apologize to Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and production designer Hannah Beachler, signaling an effort to address the situation directly and take responsibility for his actions.