Sports Festival: Team Ondo To Fight For Honours In 23 Events

Ondo State Sports Council (OSSC) has confirmed participating in 23 various sports events at the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) billed to hold at the newly refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City, Edo State capital.

The long awaited sports festival tagged Edo 2020 will hold from December 3rd-18th, 2020 at the stadium, and many other venues in the state.

In a statement by Sanni Adenike, OSSC Information Officer on Thursday confirmed that the state would feature in a total of 23 various sporting events.

Adenike remarked that in the first phase of the festival that will commence from December 3rd-10th, 2020, Ondo would feature in 13 sports. These sports are abula, boxing, chess, judo, kick-boxing, swimming, taekwando, tennis, basketball, football, handball, hockey and volleyball.

Similarly, she hinted that as the second phase commences from December 11th – 17th, 2020, the state contingent would take part in another 10 sports such as athletics, para-athletics, ayo, beach volley, gymnastics, para-table tennis, table-tennis, para-powerlifting, weightlifting and wresting.

She said: “Our athletes have resumed training fully now and all hands are on desk to ensure that the state achieves a greater success at the games.

“The state had earlier prepared for the sports festival initially slated for March this year, but was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic that ravaged the whole world in which thousands of lives were lost globally.”

It could be recalled that the hosting of the festival this year was ratified at the National Council on Sports meetings held in Asaba, Delta State last Friday, November 6th, 2020, whereby it was agreed to stage the Nigeria version of the Olympics Games from December 3rd – 18th, 2020

Moreover, the festival has since been divided into two phases in adherence to Covid-19 protocols as being slated by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 Protocols to checkmate the spread of the virus.