By: Chinedum Ohanusi

Action in the 2024 edition of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) School Sports Festival, resumes today, after Saturday and Sunday were observed as official rest days by the athletes, officials, the media, and multitude of school children who trooped to the eight designated centers to cheers on their stars or representatives of their respective schools.

The fiesta which is broadly divided into three categories; Primary Schools (13 and Under), Juniors Secondary (15 and Under), and Senior Secondary (17 and Under), began on Thursday last week; with track and field events taking centre stage in all of the centers, hosting the zonal preliminaries.

Preliminaries in other events like football, volleyball, handball, basketball, badminton, table tennis, middle distant races, and scrabble; as well as chess, ludo and ayö; will feature from today at the centers, that’s – Abaji, Kwali, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Tunga Maje, Karshi, Dutse-Alhaji and Tudun Wada; until March 2, 2024 when the curtains shall fall on the zonal preliminaries.

There shall be another period of rest, between March 4 and 9, 2024; when all the top two athletes,from the zones, shall converge in the City Centre, to compete for podium places, during the grand finalé, scheduled for between March 11 and 14, 2024; at the Main Bowl of the MKO Abiola National Stadium Abuja, and its adjoining facilities.

Meanwhile, reports reaching us from the eight centers, across the territory have it that the first two days of the fiesta has been a huge success. Mallam Ibrahim Gupa, who is coordinating the games at the Abaji centre applauded the first set of schools to be registered, and their athletes screened.

He also reserved praise for the athletes for the zeal and passion, with which they competed; and projected a much enthralling competition, when action shifts to the national stadium.

Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and the Department of School Sports in the FCT, have been commended for reviving the fiesta, which was last held during the era of a former Minister of the FCT, Retd. Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni, that’s some twenty-five years ago.

The Principal JSS Abaji, Mr. Michael Ogundipe gave the thumbs up, while speaking to our man, Austin Uwakwe at the sidelines of Day-1 of the competition, in Abaji.

According to Mr. Ogundipe, the rebirth of the fiesta, was a sure way of ensuring that children of school age are availed an inclusive path to their complete development, where their academic studies, are perfectly fused with their physical fitness, and mental alertness.