Paralympic sports have been relisted in the National Sports Festival, which is set to take place in Delta State starting on November 28, 2022, by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, the National Council on Sports decided to take parasports out of the 21st NSF.
However, the ministry announced in a statement provided to The PUNCH on Monday that it had chosen to relist the parasports after speaking with relevant parties.
Mohammed Manga, the ministry’s director of press and public relations, signed the statement.
It said, in part, “The following Para Sports are thus relisted to the National Sports Festival in Delta State by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, in consultation with Stakeholders in Sports
The ministry would like to clarify, nevertheless, that its activities will only take place in areas where Nigeria has a competitive edge.
The National Sports Festival has evolved into the Flagship Games for the identification, development, and empowerment of our young athletes, therefore this choice was made with the broader interest of sports development in Nigeria in mind.
The Ministry denounces the actions of several misguided athletes who participated in unlawful protests and blackmail without following the proper procedures.
“These actions violate our sports ethical code because they caused public unrest and damaged the reputation of athletes, particularly in light of the public’s recent acceptance of Team Nigeria’s outstanding performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
The Ministry also wants to clarify that it will follow the guidelines and deal with these kinds of actions in due course. Athletes need to be taught to follow the established due process when handling conflicts.
