The National Sports Commission (NSC) has rescheduled the 22nd National Sports Festival to May
May 16 to 30, 2025.
Recall that the sports festival, tagged: “2024 Gateway Games,”
was earlier scheduled to hold from January 12 to 26, 2025, in Ogun State.
In a statement made available to Nigerian Panorama on Friday, the NSC said that the postponement was announced by the Joint Technical Committee of the games after a meeting on Thursday.
According to the NSC, the festival was postponed to “reflect the new direction of sports in the country and also to provide more time for the implementation of recommendations made during the joint technical meeting”.
The zonal eliminations for team sports are scheduled to hold from February 23 to 28, 2025.
Director-General of NSC, Bukola Olopade, said the extra months will help the Commission prepare better for the sports festival.
He also announced the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, adding that the “young promising athletes will compete as a 38th state” at the event “for the first time in the history of the Games”.
“This would also get the Commission to settle down properly. We’re excited for the new date and the extra five months to put everything together and show the whole country what capacity is all about,” Olopade said.
“When you think about the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, where young promising athletes will compete as a 38th state, it is a promising move towards fostering development of our best young talents and it’s happening for the first time in the history of the Games.
“It’s a strategy to empower young and promising talents and create a pathway for them to be exposed at the top level. These athletes will compete against established athletes, hoping to upset the status quo. It speaks to the core of what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked of us to do.”
The Joint Technical Committee for the 22nd National Sports Festival, Ogun 2024 approved a new date for the event to align with the evolving vision for Nigerian sports and to allow sufficient time for implementing recommendations from the joint technical meeting.
The meeting took place at Mitros Residence and Suites GRA Abeokuta, Ogun State, chaired by the Director General, NSC and the Chairman, Main Organizing Committee (MOC), Olapade recently.
Olopade stated that in line with the new vision for sports development in Nigeria and Mr. President’s directive to create an economically sustainable sports ecosystem, it became necessary to adjust the dates to ensure a comprehensive implementation of these goals. “We’re excited about the additional time to prepare and demonstrate excellence to the entire nation,” he added.
The director general noted that the new Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) is a strategic move to nurture Nigeria’s best young talents and expose them to top-level competition alongside seasoned athletes.
“This groundbreaking concept introduces young, promising athletes as a 38th state, to compete in the Games.
“This aligns perfectly with the mandate from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to foster talent development and innovation in Nigerian sports,” he said.
Delivering his welcome remarks, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Ogun State, Wasiu Isiaka, commended the MOC and LOC for their resilience and commitment.
Isiaka, who pledged the Ogun government’s readiness to host the games in the state, also welcomes all committee members and wishes all a successful deliberation.
The committee commended the Federal Government for its commitment to advancing sports development through the establishment of a dedicated Sports Commission.
It also commended the Ogun government, under the leadership of Prince Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun, and the people of the state, for their hospitality and dedication to hosting a successful sports festival.
Special recognition was given to the Chairman Remo Stars, Chief Kunle Soname, for his unflinching support towards the state of successful hosting of the Games.
The management of
Babcock University was also recognized for giving out the school to serve as the Games Village.
The committee resolved to conduct a 2nd Joint Technical Meeting and Inspection Visit to address all pending issues before the Games commences.
A communique was issued and signed by the DG and the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development.
Reading the communiqué, the Secretary of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Thecla Opara, said that the postponement became necessary to effect some of the recommendations of the technical committee to have a world-class festival.
The committee agreed that “in order to give some time to effect the observations and recommendations from the Joint Technical Meeting, the dates for the 22nd National Sports Festival should be adjusted to May 16-30, 2025; and the Zonal Eliminations for Team Sports for the Games would hold from February 23-28, 2025.”
The joint committee, however, enjoined the Main Organising Committee Secretariat to amend the Games’ timeline and circulate it to all concerned stakeholders accordingly.
Meanwhile, speaking with Nigerian Panorama after the meeting, Olopade alluded to the need to factor in other elements in the preparations for the games.
“The communique is clear but what the communique did not capture was that the Ogun State government, and the Local Organising Committee were vehemently against any postponement. But in the wisdom of the Technical Committee, and the Main Organising Committee, they felt there were so many elements that needed to come together for us to give Nigerians the new definition of sports economy and ecosystem as defined by the President. There was a need to push it forward.
“We are excited that we have a new date. This gives us five months to properly put everything together and show the whole country what capacity is all about”, he said
The technical committee chairman, in his remarks, noted that the facilities on the ground needed to be upgraded to meet international standards as set by the committee.
“Technically, we looked at the facilities, and as professionals, we want something that would be peculiar, and nearer to the Olympics.
“So looking at all the facilities put on ground by the Ogun State government, we felt that it would be better for the facilities to be properly fine-tuned to meet the standard so that our athletes would enjoy and not manage”, he added.
Athletes and technical officials anonymously expressed diverse opinions on the postponement, saying that it was a waste of time, because of resources and efforts already put in at their training camps.
Others agreed with the postponement, which they considered, is better to do events on approved grounds to meet with international best
practices.
They commended the organizers for their positive roles ahead of the planned Sports Festival.
AbdulKareem Macaulay
