Sports
6 Days to Go: Gateway Games 2024 – A Celebration Beyond Sports
With just six days remaining, excitement continues to build across Nigeria as Ogun State prepares to host the 22nd National Sports Festival, also known as the Gateway Games 2024. Scheduled to take place from May 16th to 31st, this year’s edition is more than a sporting competition—it is a national celebration of unity, culture, and development.
The festival will feature 33 sports, drawing participation from all 36 states of the federation, the FCT, and invited junior athletes, with over 10,000 athletes expected to compete. It promises to be one of the largest gatherings of sports talent in the history of the event.
A Cultural Showcase Like No Other
Ogun State, deeply rooted in heritage and tradition, is set to offer a powerful display of Nigerian culture. From vibrant performances during the opening and closing ceremonies to daily exhibitions of art, dance, and indigenous craftsmanship, the festival will celebrate the diversity that defines the nation. Visitors and participants alike will have the opportunity to engage with local customs and cultural expressions from all regions of Nigeria.
An Economic Catalyst for Ogun State
The festival is already stimulating economic activity across the state. Thousands of athletes, officials, and spectators will inject new energy into Ogun’s economy, benefiting local businesses, hospitality providers, transportation services, and informal traders. From hotels to markets, the influx of guests is expected to significantly boost revenue and promote tourism in the host communities.
A Premium Spectator Experience
Spectators can look forward to a thoughtfully curated experience. Fan engagement zones, live entertainment, digital information displays, and enhanced security measures will ensure a safe, interactive, and memorable environment for everyone attending. Family-friendly spaces and local culinary showcases will further enrich the experience for both local residents and visitors.
Legacy-Driven Infrastructure Improvements
Ogun State has made strategic investments in infrastructure, with significant upgrades to key venues including the M.K.O. Abiola International Stadium and the Alake Sports Centre. For the first time in the history of the National Sports Festival, all contingents will be accommodated in a dedicated Games Village, fostering greater collaboration, unity, and logistical efficiency. These developments are set to leave a lasting legacy for future sporting events and community use.
Adding to the momentum is the recent appointment of 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner, Chief Segun Odegbami, as the Grand Sports Ambassador of Ogun State. A legendary figure in Nigerian sports, Chief Odegbami’s legacy, leadership, and advocacy for youth development reflect the values the festival aims to promote.
With only six days to go, the 22nd National Sports Festival promises to be a landmark event for Nigerian sports, culture, and national development.
Sports
A Triumphant Close to the 22nd National Sports Festival
…As organisers promise another spectacle at closing ceremony on Thursday
Joel Ajayi
After 11 days of a true showcase of sporting competition in multiple Sports by some of the country’s top and even promising athletes, the curtain will finally be drawn on what many have described as one of the best ever organised National Sports festivals, when the closing ceremony is held on Thursday at the MKO Sports Arena in Abeokuta.
Whilst the quality of the Games’ opening ceremony is still getting tongues wagging, the entire sporting family and beyond is now anxiously looking forward to what the closing ceremony will look like.
The last 11 days have showcased Ogun state as a true Sporting hub with potential to even do more, with the quality of the facilities built for the games and the enthusiasm of the people who made the various venues their second home in the last few days.
A big testament to this was the history-making crowd that attended the male football final between Ogun state and Kwara State, which the host won by 4-1.
The MKO stadium was filled to full capacity while the crowd outside watching from the big screen reminds one of how much Sports is truly the soul of our togetherness as a country.
From the Alake Sports centre in Ijeja and the Baptist boys high school, to the Obafemi Awolowo square and the Remo stadium both in Ikenne, to the NYSC orientation camp in Shagamu, and the Ilisan town hall in Ilisan, the festival never lacked spectatorship throughout the games.
The Games actually lived up to the pre-tournament hype as both the National Sports Commission, NSC and the Ogun state Government pulled out every administrative capacity to ensure both athletes, officials and the media have an unforgettable experience.
The Gateway Games 2024 had been full of exciting drama and intrigues amongst the states and athletes which led to different new records being set and some old records being shattered.
The festival has also produced for the country some new exciting young talents especially with the shocking performance of the 38th state, the Invited Junior Athletes ( IJA), where they ended up winning some surprised medals to justify the Commission’s establishment of the initiative.
As the Closing ceremony holds on Thursday, the leadership of the National Sports commission, NSC, expresses its profound gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ogun State Government for making sure millions of Nigerian youths see a renewed brighter future in the country through the National Sports Festival.
The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dilko said ” our overwhelming gratitude goes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,GCFR, for his personal commitment to the development of Nigerian Sports by giving us every support financially and otherwise for the success of this festival”.
” And the Ogun state Governor, Dapo Abiodun also deserves a huge praise for the feat we all recorded with these games. I can’t thank him enough and posterity will surely remember him for good “.
The NSC Director General who is also the Chairman of the Main organising committee of the games, Hon Bukola Olopade also extended his gratitude to all the technocrats behind the scene that are responsible for the successful organisation of the games.
” From all the members of the Main organising committee to the various sub committees, to members of the local organising committees and all our technical officials in the various sports to the media and our athletes, every success that everyone is talking about concerning these Games belongs to you all”.
” Yes it was not a perfect festival because we acknowledged we had also some challenges but let me assure everyone that some of the challenges are already being worked upon ahead of the next Games holding in Enugu state next year”, he concluded.
The Closing ceremony is expected to bring together top Government functionaries to captain of industries while there will also be the rich cultural display of the state as Ogun state will officially pass the barton of hosting to Enugu state for the 23rd edition of the Games come September 2026.
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