The Importance of National Sports Festival
The National Sports Festival began in 1973 with the sole aim of promoting unity amongst the ethnic groups in the country after the civil war as well as to discover hidden talents that can be harnessed and groomed for the future.
The importance of National Sports Festival will be buttressed in the following paragraphs:
Talented young men and women have been discovered and sponsored to the United States where they grew into world champions. Some of these athletes do not only represent this country in the All Africa Games, they went further to participate in the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and World Championship Competitions with their scintillating performances.
Furthermore, we have consistently witnessed in National, continental and global competitions the power of sport to unite people from different backgrounds and culture, as it settles disputes between states, towns and countries.
Moreover, we cannot see that sports is more than winning and losing but that in our circumstances it can be used as a catalyst for national integration and development. With careful planning, sport can help to focus the.attention of a country on its goals, and no other part of the world is in such dire need of a facilitator as Africa which has continued to be and extreme case of ethnicity; poverty and under-development. The UN, the EU and FIFA has long recognized that sport can be used to reduce poverty, boost development and achieve the Millennium Development goals set out in 2000.
Another point worth mentioning is the fact that sport goes beyond recreation, fitness and the pursuit of medals and trophies so the festival encourages participating of all people within a given society; including the disabled, children, men, women, professionals, amateurs. It contributes to personal development in the sense that professional athletics benefit from the opportunity to communicate with each other and international friends and exchange experience. For disabled athletes, it provides opportunity return to increase self esteem and set new goals. For children, it is a tool which helps them to develop within values related to respect, peace and co-operation. For women, it is a venue of encouragement and most importantly the possibility to get away from fears and difficulties women face during the conflict.
In conclusion, the importance of National Sports Festivsl to Nigeria and Nigerians cannot be over-emphasized, as the benefit out-weighs any detrimental it may have. I am strongly convinced that the Government will be able to push Nigeria foward to be a better country using the National Sport Festival.