See Why sports festival was postponed –Elegbeleye

The Ministry of Sports has said that the 19th National Sports Festival earlier scheduled to hold in Calabar, Cross River State later this month was not postponed because of impending political campaigns. The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, said the shift was in the best interest of the event and the athletes.

Speaking in Calabar shortly after the Joint Technical meeting of the Main Organising Committee, the Local Organising Committee, and the Directors of Sports of the 36 states sports councils, Elegbeleye said that the festival had to be moved because of the none readiness of most of the states.

He said, “I cannot say the festival was postponed mainly because the host state was not ready with the facilities. All, the states as well as the National Sports Commission were not ready. Most of the states had not registered their athletes by numbers while the National Sports Commission was also not ready following the number of programmes we were engaged in this year. The zonal qualifiers for the teams have also not been held either.”