Former National Judo champion, Kachi David says postponing the 2021 National Sports Festival due to COVID-19 is not necessary.
David told www.aclsports.com that the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) is now in camp and COVID-19 test were conducted for those who were available.
He said if the National Sports Festival is postponed, all the athletes who registered should be compensated for the time wasted during training sessions.
David said, “There is no need to postpone the 2020 National Sports Festival again. Originally, the National Sports Festival should have been held in February 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic shattered the dreams of most athletes. The National Sports Festival suffered another postponement last December after so many deliberations by stakeholders in the country.
“The National Sports Festival will take place by February 2021 and I feel it is not necessary for the Ministry of Sports or the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to shift the festival again”
“If by chance the National Sports Festival suffers another postponement, the registered athletes should be compensated for their training period” he added.
The former athlete said the hosting of the festival will further boost the economy of Edo and extension the country.
He said, “When Abuja hosted the 2018 National Sports Festival, we saw how it affected the economy of the country positively. Athletes were empowered by their respective states and the rate of youth restiveness reduced in the country drastically. Edo state will definitely experience a turnaround in their economy during the games next month”.
