The much awaited 20th National Sports Festival billed to hold in Edo State, this Sunday and end on February 28, has suffered another postponement,as a result of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria and paucity of funds.
The game was last postponed to February 14 to 28 at the meeting of National Council on Sports in December, 2020
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare during an emergency virtual meeting of National Council on Sports on Monday in Abuja, announced that the festival would now hold on yet to be disclosed date in April ..
According to the minister,“The sports festival has suffered postponement and due to the paucity of funds and the pandemic itself. We announced February 14th-28th, 2021 at the close of December last year, unfortunately, because of the development that was beyond our control.
“We are mindful of the second wave of the pandemic and its virulent. We have insisted that we will be properly guided and all along we have worked closely with the PTF, NCDC, and we have made several trips to Ministry of Health in Edo State to check their preparedness, and Edo State is prepared. Sporting infrastructure is in place, the Covid-19 infrastructures is in place.
“We are mindful of Covid-19 second wave and off course the issue of cost implications of the postponement. So it has been decided that festival will still hold, but no longer in February. The futuristic date in April will be announced and again be properly guided".
The minister assured the participating athlete that the festival would be used to select Nigeria's team at the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic.
“Sports festival is the Nigeria version of Olympics Games, so it is really important. This is Olympic year barely four to five months, we will pick some of the top athletes and young athletes to the sports festival.
Dare promised that the ministry would work closely with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, to arrive at a realistic date in April for holding of the Nigeria's mini-Olympic.
His words,“So, in Olympic year, holding such festival is inescapable, but again, we are going to be properly guided and hope and pray that in April, we can bring this festival.
“It is also important because over 14,000 athletes involved are the youths and the young people, some of them from over a year have remained active and already source for revenues. And we think being able to hold festival will keep our youths busy.”
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