With barely 13 days to the kick off of the 20th National Sports Festival, the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare and members of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) of the multi-sports fiesta are expected to storm Benin City tomorrow, March 10 for the final Inspection of facilities earmarked by the Edo State Government to host the Games.
Musa Ebomhiana, Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Deputy Governor confirmed the visit of the Minister and the MOC members at the weekend, stressing that almost all the facilities were ready to host the Nigerian version of the Olympics.
“The Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth, Mr. Sunday Dare is expected in Benin City on Tuesday for the final inspection of the facilities provided by our state government to host the 20th National Sports Festival. This is the last inspection before the Games Will kick off on March 22, 2020,” observed the CPS at the weekend.
With almost all the facilities installed at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Edo is set to host the festival that will be the reference point in a long while.
A visit to the Ogbemudia Stadium recently showed a total transformation of the edifice to a world-class stadium with the most modern technology in place.
From the lush green natural grass turf in the main-bowl to the four changing rooms for players, Edo State government has gone the extra mile to reconstruct the former Ogbe Stadium to perhaps, the best sporting edifice in the country today.
It also has in place a CCTV that has the capacity to keep watch five kilometers radius of the Stadium. In addition to that is the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to be used for the football events of the festival. It is the first of its kind in the country.
Apart from three tennis courts and a fourth centre court that can seat over 2,000 fans, two world-class swimming pools are also in place. A hanging Gymnastics gym, the third of such in Africa has also been completed while there are also two squash courts good enough to host any continental championship.
Also in Etete is an ultra-modern Indoor Sports Hall. It was formerly owned by Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (FMYS) but was taken over and renovated by Governor Godwin Obaseki ahead of the festival. It is scheduled to host badminton, table tennis and power table tennis.
