BY ADETOUN SHAKIRAT MOTUNRAYO
Rugby players celebrate as. the sport is given approval to return to the Edo State Sports Festival which is coming up from April 22 to 30, 2025 in Benin City.
Rugby is among the twenty nine sports that met the final selection by the organizing committee of the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival after due consideration.
The sports expected to feature in the Edo Sports Festival include Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Chess, Cycling, Gymnastics, Handball,. Cricket, Hockey and Para Athletics.
Others are Taekwondo, Tennis, Abula, Ayo, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Deaf Athletics. Also on the list are Karate, Scrabble, Swimming, Dart, Kung-fu, Kickboxing, Table Tennis, Judo, Football and Rugby.
Reacting to the new development,Obong Ntiense Williams the Head Coach Edo State Rugby Association said it is a welcome development for the growth of the sports in the country as it will further encourage the sports in the State and the nation.
According to Coach Ntiense ,'” before now, Rugby was excluded based on the fact that it was not in the National Sports Festival coming up in May in Ogun State. This position was later changed to encourage Rugby which Edo State has become a household name and the home of Rugby in Nigeria with the only dedicated Rugby Pitch in the country presently.
This was made possible when Edo State hosted the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival in 2021 instead of the scheduled 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic where Rugby was a scoring event after 10 years of its absence from the Kada Games in 2009 in Kaduna State.”
” Edo State boast of the best female Rugby players in the country and are presently the back-to-back defendiing Rugby Champions in both senior and junior women categories respectively. They are also the present male and female South South zonal champions going into the National Rugby League finals coming up in April, 2025.
The inclusion of Rugby at the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival comes as a great relief to the players as they will be looking forward to something within the State even though they are still praying for a miracle for a last minute return of the beautiful game at the National Sports Festival and the forthcoming 1st Niger Delta Sports Festival coming up from April 1 to 9, 2025 in Akwa Ibom State.” He emphasized.
Ntiense added that participation Rugby at the Sports Festivals are the endearing benefits and encouragement that will enhance the growth and development of the Sports in the State and in Nigeria .
Coach Ntiense called on the National Sports Commission to encouraging the so called lesser the game of Rugby which Nigerians are well suited for by listing it among the sports featuring in the National Sports Festival going forward. He said that Rugby being Olympics Sports deserves to be encouraged and celebrated in the country.
