By Femi Atolagbe
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The Acting General Manager of the Ondo State Sports Council ,Wande Fabuluje, has said that the  Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development should be commended, not knocked, for bankrolling the 19th National Sports Festival (FSF) in Abuja.

Fabuluje made this known while speaking to journalists at the end of the 19th Sports Festival in Abuja.

The Acting GM, said injecting life into the NSF, six years after the last edition was staged, was better than abandoning the sports fiesta, regardless of the snags experienced.

“It has been six years since the National Sports Festival was held. We may say it wasn’t perfect. We may say it hasn’t been the most impressive in terms of turn out.

“We may say logistics, organisation and publicity were defective. However, I strongly believe that the greatest challenge has been overcome.

“Subsequent editions can only get better because it is better to revive the festival, with all its shortcomings, than to let it die. It can only get better,” he said.

Team Ondo are on 10th position behind Delta, Rivers , Edo, Lagos Akwa Ibom , Bayelsa, FCT Kano and Oyo state .

Ondo contingent has so far won 15 gold, 9 silver and 23 bronze making it 44 medals won in total by state excluding the closing day events .

Fabuluje believes that the feat recorded in the Festival was a testament to the state’s developmental sports initiative.

“I became the Ag GM of the sports council in August and we made it clear that our focus would be on developmental sports.

“We are determined to ensure that we surpass whatever we achieve at this festival. We are optimistic because we have the full support of our governor and his cabinet,” he said.

The 19th NSF, which began in Dec. 6, came to an end yesterday Sunday.