The much-anticipated National Sports Festival has again been postponed.
The festival, tagged, “Gateway Games, Ogun 2024” will now hold from May 16 to 30, 2025.
The postponement came less than a month before the commencement of the festival.
The festival was earlier scheduled to hold in November 2024 in Ogun State after the state won the hosting bid during the closing of the 21st NSF on December 10, 2022.
But, in May the former Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, announced the postponement of the games to January 2025.
The latest postponement was announced in a communique released after a joint technical meeting held in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday night.
The reasons for the postponement were not stated in the communique, signed by the Chairman, Main Organising Committee, Adebukola Olopade.
“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 communique stated.
There have been concerns by stakeholders about the readiness of Ogun state to host the sports fiesta following several postponements of facilities inspection by the joint technical committee.
But the state Commissioner for Sports Development, Wasiu Isiaka, had assured all earlier this year that facilities at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, the Gateway Stadium in Sagamu and Alake Sports Centre would be ready ahead of the January 2025 date of the National Sports Festival.
(Punch/ vitalnewsngr.com)
