After months of preparations, the 21st National Sports Festival tagged Delta 2022 will finally begin on November 30, with the State government insisting on delivering the best-ever Games in history of Nigeria sports.
With two brand new indoor sports halls, a new swimming pool, a new tartan track, new shooting range all within the Stephen Keshi Stadium as well as a new hockey pitch at
Okpanam and new hostel facilities at the NYSC camp at Issele-Uku, the Secretary of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Chris Anazia declared yesterday that Delta would leave a legacy that will be difficult to surpass in the nearest future.
“Whenever Delta agrees to do anything, we always go for the best,” Anazia said.
“We are not just going to host a sports festival, but the best ever in the history of
the Games. I am sure by the time the festival ends on December 10, all Nigerian athletes and officials will praise the government and people of Delta State for a job well done.”
Apart from the hostel facilities being put in place at the NYSC camp at Issele-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha north local council, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is also building hostels in some schools in Asaba to serve as accommodation for the athletes.
According to Anazia, the arrival date for the State contingent is November 28 and 29, while the opening ceremony will hold on November 30.
Meanwhile, the Adviser to the LOC, Chief Solomon Ogba, has revealed that the Festival Torch of Unity, which has been moving around the country will arrive in Delta State on November 28, and will travel around all local government headquarters for chairmen and council officials to have a feel.
Ogba, a former Sports Commissioner, ex-President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), and currently the First Vice President of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), stated that the Festival Torch of Unity would arrive in Asaba on November 30, the day of the opening ceremony.
“The flag hoisting ceremony for Delta 2022 National Sports festival will take place at 4pm on the day of the opening ceremony on November 30. Before then, the first event for the Games, cycling, will hold in the early morning of the same day.
“One thing I want to assure every sports-loving Nigerian is that Delta is fully ready and the Sports Festival will hold as scheduled.
A total of 11, 000 athletes will participate in this Games, which is about 2,000 more than the number that participated at the last edition held in Edo State. Some of the hostels’ facilities being put in place by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration will be inherited by some of the schools,” Ogba stated.
