The National Sports Commission (NSC) has postponed the 22nd National Sports Festival to May 2025. The announcement came following a meeting of the festival’s joint technical committee on Thursday.
The event, tagged ‘2024 Gateway Games’, was initially scheduled to take place in Ogun State from January 12 to 26, 2025. However, it has now been rescheduled to hold from May 16 to 30, 2025.
In a statement on Friday, the NSC explained that the festival’s postponement is aimed at reflecting “the new direction of sports in the country” while allowing more time for the implementation of recommendations made during the joint technical meeting.
The zonal eliminations for team sports are now set to be held between February 23 and 28, 2025.
Bukola Olopade, Director-General of the NSC, said the additional time would enable the commission to adequately prepare for the festival. “This would also get the commission to settle down properly. We’re excited for the new date and the extra five months to put everything together and show the whole country what capacity is all about,” Olopade said.
Olopade also announced the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, an innovation that will see young, promising athletes compete as a 38th state during the festival for the first time in its history. He emphasized the importance of this development, stating:
“When you think about the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, where young promising athletes will compete as a 38th state, it is a promising move towards fostering development of our best young talents and it’s happening for the first time in the history of the Games.
“It’s a strategy to empower young and promising talents and create a pathway for them to be exposed at the top level. These athletes will compete against established athletes, hoping to upset the status quo. It speaks to the core of what President Tinubu has asked of us to do.”
