Edo govt wants March, April dates for Sports Festival

The Edo State government has requested the dates for the National Sports Festival be shifted to either March or April next year.

It will be recalled that the festival was rescheduled to begin on January 3, 2021 after it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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According to the state’s deputy governor, Philip Shuaibu who doubles as the local organizing committee chairman for the festival said the state can’t host the Festival in January next year because of the New Year festivities and the need for the athletes to prepare well for the competition.

“We can’t host the National Sports Festival January 3-17, 2021. It is not feasible for us. Not because we are not ready infrastructure and logistics wise, but because it would be coming two days after the New Year festivities.

“We thought we would have been put in the mood the way it was done before the date is fixed. But since they have fixed the 3rd of January, fine for them. But to us, we feel they are not sensitive again to the environment.

“We have Christmas and the New Year celebrations. So they are telling us to bring our athletes and two days after the New Year celebration, they start the tournament. For us, that again is insensitive to the feelings of our people.

“The National Council of Sports the highest decision making as far as the tournament like this is concerned and they also need the host state to be part of the date they are fixing. But the top-down approach is what they have done again,” he said

The deputy governor wants the Task Force to have a rethink of the proposed date to March or April in order to enable a good outing through adequate preparation by the athletes.

Meanwhile, the Edo government has dissolved all sub-committees set up to run the organisation of the festival.