Fresh facts have emerged in the shocking saga that saw rugby knocked out of the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, less than 24 hours after its inclusion among the medal awarding events at what is stylishly known as Gateway Games 2025.
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Sports247 reports that the euphoria and celebration that late Tuesday trailed the announcement of rugby among events to be competed for in The Rock City were cut short on Wednesday, following a heated debate among the council of states’ sports directors from across the federation.
The argument against rugby was that no qualifying competition had been staged for the grippers’ sport heading into the festival that holds later this month and, though director-general of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Engineer Bukola Olopade tried to save the sport by offering Abuja as a quickfire host for the elimination series, the dissenting voices remained unabated.
A credible source revealed the details to Sports247 minutes after the meeting in Abeokuta, stating further that the overwhelming reluctance of sports directors from the competing states eventually swayed Olopade in knocking rugby out under 24 hours after its inclusion as a replacement for shooting sport event.
The source stated at length: “Shooting was dropped during their meeting on Tuesday, because the hosting state could not meet up with the facilities before the competition’s date. Shooting was dropped and replaced with rugby.
“However, an extraordinary sports council meeting that was on Wednesday called to formally adopt the inclusion of rugby through a vote of members was stalled when a sports director raised a motion against it. He said it would have been good for them to accept it, but rugby was not part of the zonal eliminations; which means they can not get states to participate in the festival itself.
“The NSC, through its DG, in trying to find a perfect solution, offered to sponsor an elimination competition in Abuja next week, and all the states should participate.
However, in one voice, all the sports directors of the various states opted against this suggestion and declared that they would not be able to attend such a competition at short notice.
Based on this, DG, being a man of the people and a democrat, stood on the same ground with the popular voice and announced the removal of rugby.”
