Edo govt tackles NCDC over plan to stop sports festival

Deputy governor of Edo state, Phillip Shuaibu has said that the state sports facility could accept to host 3000 instead of 15,000 athletes in the Edo 2020 National Sports festival, NSF to maintain physical distance due to Covid-19.

The suggestion by Shaibu, who is also the Chairman, Local Organising Committee, NSF, follows the PTF’s rejection of the December 3rd to 18th 2020 dates rescheduled for the National Sports festival, being hosted by Edo State government.

The Festival was initially scheduled to hold from March 20th to April 1, 2020 before the National  Council on Sports accepted it to hold in December on the condition of the PTF approval.

Worried by the PTF decision, Shaibu asked: “How can PTF who approved that we can now start contact sports, the same PTF approves opening of NYSC camps across the country”.

He said: “The same PTF approves that we can all go to churches and mosques. All the market places are opened and you say we can not hold National Sports Festival? Now, this is sports where we can control the crowd that comes to the stadium.”

Shaibu said that Edo state has a sports facility where a stadium that can take 15, 000 crowd, adding that it can be adjusted to hold 3, 000 to maintain physical distancing.

Observers say with this new development, the National Sports Festival may no longer  hold this year.