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Tag: National Sports Festival

National Sports Festival: Imo Boxer Slumps, Dies In a Fight

A boxer has died in the ongoing National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State capital.

The boxer, Chukwuemeka Igboanugo who was representing Imo, died after losing a fight in a knockout with Prince Gaby Amagor from Anambra in the 86kg category.

Pascal received a punch in the chin and the referee had to stop the fight when he failed to recover.

“He was immediately taken out of the ring for medical treatment before being rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead,” a boxing official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent.

Details later…

December 6, 2022
BREAKING: FG Insist National Sports Festival Will Hold

The Federal Government has declared the 20th ongoing National Sports Festival in Edo State will continue as planned.

It countered the announcement by the Local Organising Committee that the festival will end abruptly 12noon on Thursday over lack of fund.

A statement by Assistant Director Press Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ramon Balogun, on Thursday morning explained Edo Government has not communicated its constraints officially to the Ministry.

It reads: “The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has clarified that the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020, is going on as planned with competitions going on as scheduled.

“The Ministry and the Main Organizing Committee for the festival are unaware of any plans or threat by the Edo State Government to shut down the sports festival as there has been no official meeting or communication that relayed such information.

“The Honorable Minister, Permanent Secretary and Directors are on ground in Benin City where the Festival is holding, and it is expected that the Edo State Government would formally invite the Ministry for a meeting should any urgency exist around the National Sports Festival or communicate officially with the Main Organizing Committee for the festival. The Ministry has no such communication.

“For the records, the Edo State government due to the cost implications of postponements occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic requested financial assistance from the Federal government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

“The Ministry has since been at work to secure the financial assistance which it believes is being processed. The MYSD and EDSG are determined to deliver a successful National Sports Festival.”

Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, Ebomhiana Musa, in a statement on Wednesday night, had threatened the competition would end on Thursday by 12noon over inability of the Federal Government to raise its counterpart funding.

He said the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Local Organising Committee headed by Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.

According to him: “The Local Organising Committee, Edo2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, 2021, for lack of funds.

“Rising from an emergency meeting this evening, the LOC says it has to take this hard decision due to lack of funds having expended its reserves to kick start the games.

“Regrettably, the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements. So, we are left with no option but to end the games at noon tomorrow.”

The development is coming after postponement of the festival on several occasions.

No fewer than 8,000 athletes from different states of the federation are participating in the festival.

April 8, 2021
Oyo bids to host National Sports Festival

Oyo State may be the next host of the National Sports Commission, the State Sports Council has disclosed.

The Council said it has signified its intention to host the next edition of the prestigious sporting event.

Addressing leaders of the Oyo state chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria at his office, Chairman of the state sports council, Gbenga Adewusi, disclosed this on Friday.

Mr Adewusi said the political leaders and sports administrators in the Pacesetter State have communicated their desire to the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, who is an indigene of the state.

The last time Oyo State hosted the National Sports Festival was in 1976.

His words: “The sports-loving Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, is interested in hosting the next edition of the National Sports Festival. And we have told the Minister for Sports that we want to host the next edition after the one in Edo State. We have begun preparations for this, with the ongoing upgrade of the Lekan Salami Stadium. In addition, we are also upgrading some mini stadia in six geo-political zones as well as sports arenas in the state capital.”

January 30, 2021
Edo has no funds to host National Sports Festival – Obaseki

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has called on the Federal Government to help in funding the National Sports Festival, scheduled to hold in the state.

Obaseki said the state is ready to host the 20th edition of the sports event but does not have the financial capacity to host 11,500 athletes and officials.

Obaseki, who received members of the Main Organising Committee from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in Benin City on Tuesday, said COVID-19 had taken its toll on the finances of the state.

He said: “Since March last year, you know the financial strength of most states, sub-nationals and countries. For us as a state, we are ready to host but don’t have the funds at this point in time to host the Games; this is the plain truth.

“If the Federal Government however in its wisdom decides to bring the funding for the Games, we will be too willing to host the country. We have to live with COVID-19 because it has come to stay; even with the vaccination, the virus will still be around. Canceling the Games is not the solution to this issue. We have to sit down and look at all these issues critically before reaching a final decision.”

Obaseki added, “Beyond the Games itself, which is an instrument of unity and a way of engaging the youths, there is the Tokyo Olympics to prepare for. But how do we prepare for the Olympics without Edo 2020? Can we afford to expose our young people to the dangers of COVID-19 or would there be other Olympics in the future? We have to balance these things.

“We have to make a decision whether we want to go to the Tokyo games. If we want to, how do we prepare Nigeria’s contingent, where are the trials?”

However, Nebeolisa Anako, who led the delegation to Obaseki’s office, expressed delight with the facilities inspected by the committee for the festival scheduled to hold from February 14 to 28.

“We are here to look at the preparedness of the state and determine how it would be hosted in a safe manner, considering the pandemic. What we saw while inspecting the facilities for the festival gladdens my heart. It shows that the state government is prepared to host the event. We are also looking at the funding for the Games.”

January 27, 2021
National sports festival may still hold this year, says Sports Minister

By Mike Oboh

This year’s national sports festival billed for Edo state has not been postponed indefinitely as the sports minister is optimistic that the event will still hold.

The minister. Sunday Dare said on Thursday at the opening of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria , FCT chapter organized week, that he was still in consultation with the Presidential Task Force on COVID 19 to clear the air on the possibility of hosting the games by Edo state.

Dare said though the stakeholders had agreed to hold the festival from December 3 -18 but prevailing circumstances in the country may have necessitated the position held by the PTF.

He said he was optimistic that the games will still hold as he was ready to engage the PTF in a new dialogue which will facilitate the competition hold in not too distant time.
Dare said following the #EndSARS crisis and some prevailing circumstances, the PTF may have had a different option from the ministry and other stakeholders position.
He said though the PTF was properly briefed it will be better all loopholes noticed by them at accommodated in taken the decision for a successful hosting by Edo State.

November 26, 2020
Breaking records at National Sports Festival under threat – Maikano

By Mike Oboh

The forth coming National Sports Festival billed to be hosted by Edo State government may not witness any new records as athletes preparing for the game says the COVID 19 pandemic is having a telling effect on their preparations.

Most of the athletes spoken with in Abuja noted that since the lockdown has affected their training, it will be miraculous for any of them to break new records when the competition commences.

The festival which was shifted earlier this year because of the pandemic . has resulted to the athletes not been in tense preparations for the game as most of them are now left with private practice which was not enough to break even.

According to Abdul Maikano, the festival would have brought the best out of the athletes if they have another way of preparing for the games which is the country’s Olympics.

Maikano said it was quite dishearten that after a great preparation for the game, the pandemic came in to rob them of the expected glory of breaking new records in the festival.

“We were intense training for the festival, myself and many others of my colleague were very optimistic of breaking records in Edo state but with the situation we are now I don’t know how this can become a reality,” he said.

He said what they have resolved to do was to keep their acts together and push for a possibility towards it, saying “There is still the possibility if the training programmes of the various sports can be open by the government.”

He said they were looking ahead with optimism that the government will soon open the sports facilities for them to train for the games .

October 15, 2020