The 22nd National Sports Festival, originally scheduled for January 12th, 2024, and tagged Gateway Games Ogun 2024, has been postponed. The event will now take place from May 16th to 30th, 2025.
This decision was announced in a communiqué issued on Thursday, following the Joint Technical Meetings held in Abeokuta, Ogun State’s capital.
The Secretary of the Main Organising Committee (MOC), Thecla Opara, explained that the delay was necessary to implement some recommendations made by the technical committee in order to deliver a world-class festival. She stated, “The committee agreed that, to allow time for addressing the observations and recommendations from the Joint Technical Meeting, the dates for the 22nd National Sports Festival should be adjusted to May 16-30, 2025. Additionally, the Zonal Eliminations for Team Sports will take place from February 23-28, 2025.”
The committee also instructed the MOC Secretariat to revise the Games timeline and share it with all relevant stakeholders.
Speaking with the media after the meeting, Bukola Olopade, Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), emphasized the need to incorporate various elements into the Games’ preparation. He acknowledged that while both the Ogun State government and the Local Organising Committee were strongly opposed to the postponement, the Technical Committee and MOC recognized the importance of refining the event. He added, “In line with the President’s vision of redefining the sports economy and ecosystem, the delay was necessary to ensure everything is in place. We’re excited about the new date, as it gives us five additional months to properly organize the Games and showcase the country’s capacity.”
The chairman of the technical committee highlighted that some facilities required upgrades to meet international standards. “After reviewing the facilities, we decided that they needed further refinement to meet Olympic-level standards, ensuring that athletes would have a top-tier experience, rather than simply managing with subpar conditions,” he explained.