NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL
Curtain closes on a truly remarkable 22nd National Sports Festival
After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.
Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond are now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.
The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with the potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.
A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun State and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.
The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.
From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist Boys’ High School, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium, both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectators throughout the games.
The Games lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC, and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials, and the media had an unforgettable experience.
The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes, which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.
The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.
As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.
” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, also deserves huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough, and posterity will surely remember him for good “.
The NSC Director General, who is also the Chairman of the Main Organising Committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade, also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scenes who are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.
All the members of the Main organising committee and various sub committees have shown incredible dedication. The local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports have also been outstanding. Your dedication has been incredible.
The media and our athletes have also contributed immensely. Every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all.”
” Yes, it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges. Let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon. This is ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu State next year”, he concluded.
The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries and captains of industries. There will also be a rich cultural display of the state.
Ogun State will officially pass the baton of hosting to Enugu State. This will be for the 23rd edition of the Games. The Games will occur in September 2026.
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NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL
Gateway Games: Nigeria needs to invest in girls ‘ grassroots sports —Funke Oshonaike
As the curtain falls on the 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged the Gateway Games, seven-time Olympian and Nigerian table tennis legend, Funke Oshonaike, has called for urgent investment in grassroots sports development, particularly for young girls, warning that without strategic support and funding, Nigeria risks stagnating in global table tennis.
During a surprise visit to the Alake Sports Centre, one of the venues for the Gateway Games, Oshonaike emphasised that while male players are making notable progress, the same cannot be said for their female counterparts.
“We need to build more girls in table tennis. The boys are doing well, but there’s been little improvement on the girls’ side. It’s still the same names we hear. We need fresh talent, and for that to happen, we must create more opportunities and competitions,” Oshonaike said.
The 25-time national champion decried the sharp decline in local tournaments, noting that the current calendar is inadequate for developing competitive athletes.
“In the past, we had about 10 to 12 competitions in a year. Now, we’re lucky to have even four. That’s not enough to grow world-class players,” she lamented.
She also stressed the need for international exposure, saying many talented Nigerian players are stuck competing only locally due to lack of funding.
“We can’t rely on just one name like Quadri Aruna to represent us globally. There are many gifted players, but without financial support, they can’t participate in international events or improve their rankings. We need to send them to junior and senior World Table Tennis (WTT) competitions,” she said.
Oshonaike, who was drawn to the festival after hearing glowing reports from her international network, praised the organizers and expressed joy at the enthusiasm within the sports hall.
“Yes, the hall is hot and crowded, but the energy here is beautiful. It’s amazing to see both local and foreign-based athletes competing. This shows table tennis is still very loved in Nigeria,” she noted.
Funke Oshonaike is a 25-time national champion, 11-time African Games medallist, and three-time continental champion.
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NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL
Without your support, we would have achieved less, sports commissioner, Isiaka praises hattrick celebrating Gov Abiodun
Wasiu Isiaka, the commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, has praised his principal, Gov. Dapo Abiodun, for being the pillar that has made the state contingent to the 22nd National Sports Festival rise above expectation to place third among competing 38 teams.
Ogun State Commissioner for Sports, Wasiu Isiaka
“This is our best moment, and we shall build on it”, he told Sports Village Square. Team Ogun, a hitherto medium power, rose above expectations to beat some traditional National Sports Festival powerhouses and eventually came third.
Edo State and Lagos were some powerhouses that ran out of gas following the frenetic performance of Team Ogun.
“Great thanks to my governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun. He has been a source of inspiration,” Isiaka said. He congratulated the governor not just for the success of Team Ogun. He also acknowledged the helmsman’s 65th birthday and sixth anniversary as governor of Ogun State.
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The host Governor of the 22nd National Sports Festival, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is having a triple celebration as the 10-day fiesta ends this Thursday.
Not only has he had one of the best editions of Nigeria’s version of the Olympic Games, but he is also celebrating his 65th birthday as well as his sixth anniversary as a governor.
Moreover, the third position of Team Ogun also adds icing to the triple celebration cake. It has been one of the best outings of his team, which also won what could be likened to a Blue Riband – gold medal of the men’s football event.
The closing ceremony of the 22nd National Sports Festival will be held this Thursday at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena.
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