The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, has enumerated the benefits derived from hosting the National Sports Festival (NSF). Olopade stated this on Tuesday while addressing sports journalists covering the NSF, tagged “Ogun 24 Gateway Games,” at the Media Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and encouraged all states to host the event.
He said, “The NSF has numerous gains for both state and national development.” He explained that the benefits of hosting such an event cannot be quantified in monetary terms because it is a significant investment.
He stressed that, “you cannot underestimate the power of sports because it deals with development, which encompasses infrastructural development, capacity building, entertainment, and hospitality.” “The revenue value also extends to road maintenance, construction of new roads, capacity building, and positioning not only the host state but the entire country.”
“The opening ceremony of the NSF event was watched in over fifty countries, which showcases Ogun State to the world,” he added. The former Commissioner of Sports in Ogun State noted that the tangible aspect of sports is commerce and that small and medium-scale businesses are already thriving in various centers of the Games in the state.
He mentioned that “over 300 small-scale businesses are currently operating inside the stadium due to the Games, and when you visit Babcock University and its surroundings, over 100 small-scale businesses are operating there as well.” “I also know that in the last two days, over a million Adire materials have been sold, and the Adire sellers are now complaining that they have run out of stock.”
“Look at the hotels, and one cannot quantify the profits made by the owners due to the Games. This is why we want to encourage more states to host the festival, as it opens numerous doors for indigenes in society.”
Olopade commended sports journalists for their adequate reportage of the NSF so far and urged them to continue partnering with the National Sports Commission and supporting the host state in their coverage to deliver a world-class Games.
