The ball games of the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State kicked off on Monday, but not without complications for some teams. The Enugu State male handball team and Ondo State’s male football team both suffered walkovers in what were supposed to be their opening games.
At the Alake Sports Centre in Ijeja, Edo State was awarded 10 goals and three points after Enugu failed to show up for their Group B handball match. It was reported that the Enugu team arrived late due to a protest over allowances at their camp, which is located at the Babcock University sports village, nearly two hours away from the event venue.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State male football team also forfeited their match at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, where they were due to face Lagos State. Ondo’s football team was dropped from the state’s contingent before their arrival, despite having qualified for the competition.
A source close to the team revealed that financial constraints led to the decision to drop them, while an official from the Ondo State Sports Council stated that the team’s absence was due to technical issues. “We are not aware of any walkover for our team because they are not here. Although they qualified by finishing second at the zonal elimination, we had technical issues which forced us to drop them,” explained Adenike Sanni, the media relations officer of the Ondo State Sports Council.
Ondo’s next scheduled match is against Kano, but it is unlikely they will show up again.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who attended the opening ceremony of the Gateway Games 2024, visited the athletes’ camp and urged them to compete favorably.
Enugu State, despite their setback, will look to avoid another walkover in their upcoming match against Adamawa.
