No sport will be made an optional sport at the National Sports Festival beginning from the competition’s 20th edition.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of State Directors of Sports Forum, Tunde Kazeem.
Kazeem told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja that there was no reason to make any sports optional at the biennial event.
He said: “A lot of sports federations approached us in Calabar (during the last National Council of Sports meeting) to see that we include them in the competition’s programme.
“But unfortunately, the host state has the prerogative of picking five out of 15 sports to take part in and they will look for the sports they have comparative advantage in.
“But if what we discussed in Calabar is anything to go by, the issue of optional sports has been scrapped after this 19th edition of the festival.
“From the 20th edition, it is hoped that there will not be any optional sports.
“All the sports are the same.
“So, we will give them equal playing ground.”
Kazeem said the Cross River State Government was doing all its possible best to put things in place to host the festival in November.
He said: “We went to Calabar few weeks ago and we had discussion with the state government and all the Directors of Sports.
“We went round the facilities and, from what we saw, I think they are on course.
“But I think there is need to still urge them to do more because November is very close.
“We want them to put everything on ground, so that the festival will not be postponed again this time.”
NAN.
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