Gateway Games’ postponement was to allow for new changes — Officials

The 2024 National Sports Festival (NSF) tagged “Gateway Games” was postponed on Thursday to allow for some changes, officials said on Friday.

Mr Bukola Olopade, the Director-General (DG) of the National Sports Commission (NSC), told newsmen the shift in date of the festival was to allow the newly-created Commission settle down.

He said the NSC, the owners/organisers of the competition and which was created in November, needed to settle down to create a sustainable sports economy.

“The rescheduling was strategically done to create an ecosystem of economic sustainability as mandated by President Bola u.

“It will also allow host state Ogun effect the necessary recommendations noticed during the inspection of facilities at the proposed venues for the games,” he said.

Speaking further on the postponement, the Commissioner for Sports Development in Ogun, Mr Wasiu Isiaka, expressed satisfaction with the decision of the technical committee.

Isiaka also said the shift in date would allow the state government to further expand the ecosystem of organising the best NSF which would be a reference point in the near future.

Supreme News reports that the games, earlier slated for Jan. 12 to Jan. 26 in 2025 has been rescheduled for May 16 to May 30, 2025.

A communique jointly signed by Olopade and the Ogun Commissioner for Sports Development, Mr Wasiu Isiaka, had late Thursday announced the postponement.

Secretary of the games’ Main Organising Committee (MOC), Mrs Theela Opara, had presented the communique to newsmen after the Festival’s First Joint Technical Meeting in Abeokuta.

Opara, while speaking, had said the shift in the festival’s dates was to allow the state effect the necessary recommendations noticed during the inspection.

She added that the meeting also stressed the need for more synergy between members of the MOC Sub-Committees/Liaison Officers and relevant Local Organising Committee (LOC) Sub-Committees.

The MOC Secretary disclosed that the meeting agreed that athletes discovered from the last National Youth Games (NYG)in some selected sports would be invited to participate in the NSF.

“They will appear as ‘Invited Junior Athletes’.

“This is part of the grand plan to nurture them to excel in their sports and develop as well-rounded individuals,” she said.

NAN reports that the Joint Technical Meeting for the festival had in attendance the Directors of Sports and Technical Directors in the FCT and 36 states of the federation.

It also had all Secretaries of the National Sports Federations (NSFs), and members of the Festival’s MOC and LOC.