The Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 may have halted the proposal of the National Council on Sports, NCS, to hold the 2020 National Sports Festival this December.
It is reported that the government of Edo and the NCS are very angry with the decision which they consider unfair, citing the approval by the same body for the resumption of all contact sports, the resumption of the NYSC orientation camps with thousands of students in attendance for a period of one month, the opening of all mosques and churches, and the assurances of readiness of the hosts, Edo State, to maintain a safe level of essential health protocols during the 10 days festival period.
A website by some unknown Nigerians has been created and has begun to collect signatures of ‘stakeholders’ calling for the rejection of the postponement, and allowing the NSF to take place.
A battle line seems to have been now drawn between the federal and state governments.
The matter is assuming a serious national dimension, a hard choice between medical science and some people’s sentiments, between some narrow interests and public safety.
This calls for a very careful examination of the issues. What are the benefits of holding the events now as against postponing till next year? What is really at stake in the decision to hold now or postpone till later? What are the ‘costs’ of both decisions? Who is to gain from the hosting now or the postponement? Is there more to the entire matter than meets the ordinary eye?
Those and more are the issues for interrogation and discussion when The Sports Parliament reconvenes tomorrow night from 10:30 on NTA.
What is the position of the Sports Minister on the matter? What is in the greater interest of the Nigerian public that will suffer consequences and run the attendant risks to having thousands of athletes and their officials from all over the country converge in an environment that does not boast of adequate or first-class health care facilities that can prevent a spike of the deadly Coronavirus should anything go wrong?
The rest of the world is locking down and discouraging all forms of large public gatherings, with Sports venues empty of spectators and extensively covered by television. Does Nigeria want to head in the other direction?
To tell the truth, the athletes in different parts of the country are not very ready for the festival even though officials tell a different story.
When The Sports Parliament sits tomorrow night, it shall table and examine all the issues with the mirror of a very special guest in the corridors of Nigerian sports deploying King Solomon’s wisdom in this ‘festival without end’.
Reason and common sense must prevail.
So, the National Sports Festival – to be or not to be?
Join us tomorrow night with some of the best brains in sports clinically xraying the subject.
All those in favour say Aye
All those against say Nay.
Segun Odegbami
Speaker.
