The leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC), on Tuesday, said that it is set for a busy week as the zonal elimination for team sports at the 22nd National Sports Festival kicks off across various centers.

States will compete for qualification spots at zonal centers in Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Plateau, and Yobe, as they vie for a place at the festival, scheduled to take place in Ogun State this May.

The NSC Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, emphasized the significance of the zonal eliminations, describing them as crucial to the success of the festival.

Dikko said: “We are determined to do things differently with a touch of global best practices and this is why we are putting utmost seriousness to the zonal eliminations this time around.”

The NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko will be at the Kaduna Centre while the Director General Hon. Bukola Olopade will be at the Ibadan Centre, as their presence also emphasised the new commitment of the current leadership of the Sports Commission.

The Director General, Bukola Olopade, in a similar vein, said the Commission has provided all the needed logistics through the Department of Sports Festival and Grassroots Development, for all the zones to host a successful qualification.

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Olopade said: “The Gateway Games in Ogun state will go down as one of the best-organised Games in the festival history and for this to be achieved, we must have one of the best organised Zonal eliminations.”

The NSC leadership said it is determined to ensure a hitch-free zonal elimination across the various centres after the visits of the Chairman and the Director General of the Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade.

Team Sports that are featured in the zonal elimination phase Include football, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cricket, beach volleyball, Abula, and handball.