2020 National Sports Festival
THE 20th National Sports Festival tagged ”Edo 2020” originally meant to hold in March through April 2020 in Benin City now has new dates.
THE new dates for the multi-sports competition is December 3 to 1, 2020.
THE biannual sports festival was postponed a day to the kick-off due to the outbreak of COVID- 19 in March, this year.
THE dates were confirmed after a two-day Technical Session of National Council of Sports meeting in Asaba, Delta State. The National Sports Commission recommended that the games Village be opened on Thursday, December 3 and close December 18, it also scheduled the opening ceremony for December 5th, while the closing ceremony takes place on Thursday, December 17th.
THE coronavirus pandemic has no doubt wreaked great havoc to sports not only in the country but globally. We commend the initiatives of stakeholders in sports for going ahead with the sports festival. Sport is one of the veritable avenues to detect talents in the country and promoted national unity.
WE therefore call on the organizers to observe all COVID-19 protocols. Every contact sports should be suspended while the hotel accommodation should follow strictly the social distance regulations, athletes and others participating in the sporting events should be subjected to tests starting from their respective states before entering the games village in Edo State.
IN addition to this, we call on state governments to lend hands of fellowship to the organizers with a view to making the sports festival a huge success. Also security within and out the various venues be tight to prevent any security threats at the festival.
THE National Sports Commission, should ensure that stars that emerged after the event are groomed and supported for national and international engagements. Many of the present stars are ageing and have been on national and international limelight for more than a decade. The sports festival should be an incubator to discover new talents that would represent the country in future competitions.
THEREFORE call on the athletes and mostly those from Ondo State to compete fairly at the sports festival. The era of poaching athletes from other states to win laurel and even using mercenaries to win the sports festival should be discouraged. Using such tactics never last as they would jeopardize the objectives of the sports fiesta We believe that the arena should be used to discover talents that would make the country proud.
WE thus call on Ondo State government to make money and other incentives available money to the sports council to commence camping and prepare athletes that would represent the state at the sports festival in Edo State.
IT is only when all things are put in place that the athletes can compete diligently with other competitors and win medals for their sponsors The Ondo State contingent should concentrate on areas of advantages at the festival to win laurels for the state.
AGAIN, we charge and encourage private investors to invest in the sports . Sport is a money spinning venture and if well utilized can generate huge money for would be investors .
THE time has come when government must woo and reach out to private investors into sports and hands off sports at it is been done in other climes.