The ongoing National Sports Festival in Edo State have recently experienced some hiccups as athletes and officials say they are confused over the conflicting information passed by the Federal Ministry of Sports and the Local Organising Committee.
The Sports participants lamented that they are at a crossroads on whether to prepare to contest or return back to their base.
They also stated that some of the LOC officials have stopped attending to them at the venue of the competition due to several misinformation
The news of the postponement spread Thursday morning and activities at the venue of the Sports Festival went on low-key.
“We don’t even know what is going on again. We are all confused here. I hope that things will get clearer after 12noon,” an stated.
The confusion started when the LOC announced that the festival will end abruptly by 12 noon over the Federal Government’s failure to release funds.
A few hours after the LOC announcement, the sports ministry insisted that the festival would continue.
Athletes and officials at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Edo State say they are confused over the conflicting information passed by the Federal Ministry of Sports and the Local Organising Committee.
Ebomhiana Musa, the Coordinator of Media and Publicity, National Sports Festival, had in a statement on Wednesday night, said the decision to end the competition was taken at an emergency meeting of the Local Organising Committee headed by Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.
“The Local Organising Committee, Edo2020 regrets to announce that it will end the games abruptly tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, 2021, for lack of funds.
“Regrettably, the FG is yet to redeem its pledge to support us as the host state financially for the cost of postponements. So, we are left with no option but to end the games at noon tomorrow.” Musa stated.
Reacting, the Federal Government in a statement by Ramon Balogun, Assistant Director Press Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, on Thursday morning, said, “The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has clarified that the 20th National Sports Festival, Edo 2020, is going on as planned with competitions going on as scheduled.
“For the records, the Edo State government due to the cost implications of postponements occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic requested financial assistance from the Federal government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development”. He added.