October 26, (THEWILL) – Organisers of the National Sports Festival, NSF, have changed their positions on delisting Para-sports in response to the protests of physically challenged athletes in Lagos last week.
As THEWILL reported, these athletes protested their exclusion from the 21st National Sports Festival, which will be hosted by Delta State in Asaba, a decision reached by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, in collaboration with the National Sports Council, by blocking traffic around the National Stadium in Surulere.
With the reversal, the Festival will now feature the following Para sports: Para Athletics, Para Table Tennis, Para Powerlifting, and Deaf Sports of Athletics and Table Tennis.
Mohammed Manga, the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, who took issue with the protesters, said in a statement released on Monday: “The decision was taken in the overall interest of sports development in Nigeria, as the National Sports Festival has become the Flagship Games for the discovery, grooming and empowerment of our youth athletes.
“The Ministry condemns the behaviour of some misguided athletes who engaged in unwarranted acts of protests and blackmail without recourse to due process. The Ministry wishes to state further that it will apply the rules in dealing with such acts in due course. Athletes must learn to follow the due process laid down for resolving issues.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
