Get Guardian on GoogleThe Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 23rd National Sports Festival, tagged “Coal City Games” Enugu 2026, has dismissed reports suggesting that the Enugu State Government is considering postponing or cancelling the national sporting fiesta over alleged inadequate preparations.
The clarification followed an online report that “2026 Coal City Games might be put on hold, cancelled,” claiming that the state government was struggling to complete some of the facilities designated for the Games ahead of the scheduled commencement.
The report further alleged that a top official of the National Sports Commission (NSC) was considering the possibility of postponing or outrightly cancelling the festival because of concerns over the readiness of the sporting facilities.
It also claimed that the sub-committees established to oversee various aspects of the festival were yet to be mobilised to discharge their assigned responsibilities, prompting the Main Organising Committee (MOC) to consider a possible postponement or cancellation.
However, reacting to the publication today, the Secretary of the LOC, Bamiduro Olumide, dismissed the claims, insisting that he had not received any official communication regarding a possible postponement or cancellation of the festival.
“I have not heard that the festival will be put on hold or postponed. No one, not even the state government, has informed me of such a development as I speak,” Olumide said.
He also expressed surprise over the report’s claim that the MOC was planning another inspection of facilities this week to determine whether the Games would proceed as scheduled.
According to him, no official communication had reached his office regarding any proposed visit by the national organising body.
“I don’t know about any upcoming visit. If there is any planned visit, I should be the number one person to know. At least, the MOC would have contacted me to inform me that they are coming”.
“As a matter of fact, nobody has called me to say they are coming. You can imagine news just flying around, with anyone saying whatever they like”.
“They should have called me from Abuja to say we would be coming on a particular date. But nobody has done that,” he added.
Meanwhile, preparations for the Coal City Games have continued, with significant progress reportedly being recorded on some of the facilities earmarked for the festival. The construction of the swimming pool at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, is said to be at its final stage, providing a major boost to efforts to ensure that the facility is ready ahead of the competition.
The 23rd National Sports Festival is expected to bring together thousands of athletes and officials from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to compete across various sporting disciplines. With the festival approaching, attention remains focused on the completion of outstanding facilities and the finalisation of operational arrangements to ensure a successful hosting of the national sporting event in Enugu.
