After more than three decades after it last hosted the National Sports Festival, Oyo State is bidding among other states to host the 20th edition of the fiesta.
Other states bidding along with Oyo State are Edo, Plateau and Cross Rivers.
This was revealed by Tunde Raheem, the Kwara State Director of Sports, in Abuja during an interview with sportingtribune.com, informing that there had been sent to states of the federation to calling for bidding for the next sports festival.
Raheem, who doubles as the Chairman, Association of Directors of Sports, informed that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development had set up a bidding committee for the next edition of the festival.
“I think for the next edition, we have written to all the states, states that will bid to host the next edition.
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“I can confirm to you that Edo is one of them, Plateau is one of them, and Oyo State is there. Cross River is also bidding.
“This time, the ministry has set up a bidding committee for the next festival,” he revealed.
According to him, in a bid to avoid the series of postponements the ongoing 19th National Sports Festival suffered, culminating in the withdrawal if hosting rights from Cross River State, Raheem stated that there had to be Plans A, B and C on the ground.
“Of course we have said it, we must Plan A, Plan B and Plan C. Plan C is to have FCT to host the festival. If everything goes bad, FCT will come to our rescue,” he stated.
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He, however, expressed optimism that the next edition would not suffer similar fate like the ongoing festival, going by the seriousness the state’s attached to bidding for the next edition.
“But from the look of things, I don’t think we will have that situation (postponements) again because the states that are bidding are actually serious.
“The governor of Edo was here. Edo is there bidding, Cross River is challenging. Oyo State, Plateau State, they are all bidding. So we will look at the comparative advantage they have.
“I am sure we are not going to have postponements again,” he stated.
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The Kwara Director of Sports informed that the basic requirement for any state to be given hosting rights of the festival included the availability of stadium with tartan track, indoor sports hall and swimming pool.
“These are the basic requirements. All these are very important to hosting of the festival. And then you must have a University so that the hostel can be used for the accommodation of athletes and officials.”
Raheem commended the Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, his FCT counterpart, Mohammed Musa Bello, state governors and Directors of Sports from the state for their efforts in ensuring that the ongoing Abuja 2018 Festival is hosted.
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