The 19th National Sports Festival (NSF) ended in Abuja at the weekend with Team Delta emerging overall first at the fiesta. The state earned a total of 351 medals, comprising 163 gold, 87 silver and 101 bronze medals. Rivers State finished second with a total of 69 gold, 58 silver and 66 bronze medals. Edo, Lagos, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states came third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. It was great to have the festival back after six years in limbo due to the inability of proposed host state to stage the event.
Lagos in 2012 hosted the last edition before the just-concluded one which incidentally was also won by Delta State. We congratulate Delta State for winning the NSF back-to-back. It did not come as a surprise because Delta and Edo states have a rich tradition in sports at all levels. We are aware that Delta has over 13 stadia in various local governments in the state and the results are there for all to see.
With 163 gold medals won by Delta and Rivers coming a distant second with 69 gold, it is clear the difference between Delta and other states is massive. We are aware of the N1 million cash reward for gold medal winner from Delta with silver and bronze medal winners also smiling all the way to the bank. Beyond the cash reward, we urge the state government to invest in the education and sports careers of the promising athletes of Team Delta.
This, we believe, will be a lasting legacy for the athletes. We commend the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, for his bold step of staging the event in Abuja to, at least break the jinx,despite the state of readiness. The decision to host in Abuja was taken a couple of months ago and this could be the reason for some of the lapses at the event. It is sad that athletes were eating out just anywhere in Abuja in this era when doping is a serious issue. The food and drinks of all the athletes at the games should be monitored for safety reasons rather than put their career at risk because some of the athletes could be ignorant of what they eat and drink.
The sorry tales of poor welfare in about 12 states was bad as the event witnessed plenty of protests even after the event. Meanwhile, it was sad that during the six years the festival was in limbo, the country lost some talented generation of young athletes who had no chance to showcase their talents during the period.
This event is significant to the sports development in the country and there must always be a plan B for the hosting. Now that Edo State has been named as the next host, we call on the ministry of sports to have another standby host or the Ministry of Sports will foot the bill by staging the event in Abuja anytime there is a default. Any misdemeanour will always have effect on many youths in the country. Thousands of them were denied opportunity in the past six years and their form might not be the same at the justconcluded event. We observed that the idea of having the event open was a major subject of discourse.
Many people argue that the NSF should be purely for up-coming athletes, but we make bold to say the festival should be for all Nigerians, home or abroad, because this will also add to the glamour and encourage corporate world to embrace it. The sponsors will be happy that top athletes will be part of an event they are bankrolling. For example, Nimota Aregbesola defeated African number two, Funke Oshonaike, 4-3 in the quarterfinal of the table tennis event.
Former Scrabble world champion and current world number eight, Wellington Jighere, competing for Delta won bronze in the event won by unknown players from Akwa Ibom and Plateau states. In athletics, Margaret Boluwatife won the women’s 100m gold ahead of favourites and national team athletes, Joy Udo-Gabriel and Rosemary Chukwuma.
In the men’s event, Itsekiri Usheoritse of Rivers State also beat Egwero Ogho-Oghene to the gold. In Women 400m, Imaobong Nse-Uko won gold ahead of favourite, Yinka Ajayi. The upsets recorded were the beauty of the open nature of the games. The top professionals who were present also added glamour to the festival. We urge the national coaches to further develop the upcoming ones who made impact in Abuja. The preparation for Edo 2020 must start now in all aspects by the host state and the ministry to avert another disappointment for our youths to showcase their talents. The next edition of the games is taking place in an Olympic year and Edo must deliver the NSF before the global fiesta.
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