Minister of Sports and Youth Development Solomon Dalung, has called on State Governments in the country to stop using sports facilities for cultural events such carnivals and others, just as Stakeholders have proposed November 19th for the National Sports Festival in Calabar

The Minister frowned at this practice yesterday in Calabar after inspecting facilities at the U J Esuene Stadium and some of the facilities slated for use during the forthcoming 19th National Sports Festival.

Dalung said: “the football pitch here, the turf appears to be in bad shape and there is evidence that it was in good shape before but along the line something has happened.

“So, I suggest that football pitches across the country should be exclusively used for those things that they are meant for and not to be subjected to other events that could destroy the turf.

“Invariably, what I am suggesting is that, state governments should not subject sports facilities to other events such as marriages, weddings, carnivals, cultural events and so on”.