By Amaechi Agbo

On Wednesday, 14^th April, 2021, Delta State was announced as the host state for the 21^st edition of the National Sports Festival, NSF, Besthcoicesports.com.ng understands.

The announcement was made at the closing ceremony of the 20^th edition held in Benin Edo State capital.

The festival which held from April 4^th to 14^th 2021 was rounded up on Wednesday with Delta State retaining her position as the best sporting state in the country.

The minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, while announcing the host state explained the reason the Council on Sports chose Delta State for the 2022 edition of the National Sports Festival.

In announcing the host state, Dare said: “I am glad to note that the Federal Government received bids to host the 21st edition of the National Sports Festival in 2022 from six states, namely, Delta, Ebonyi, Imo, Kaduna, Kano and Ogun.

“Following the evaluation of the bids and the physical visitation to the prospective states, I hereby announce Delta State as the next host for the National Sports Festival in 2022.

“I congratulate the government and people of Delta State for emerging the preferred state and wish them best of luck in the organisation of the 21st National Sports Festival.”

It could be recalled that Delta State came close to winning the hosting bid in 2018 but Edo State got the upper hand due to political reasons.

By the virtue of the hosting rights, Delta State will become the 11^th state to host the biennial sporting evet in the country. Prior to this, the following states and the federal capital had at one point or the other hosted the ‘Nigerian Olympic’; Edo – 1999; Bauchi – 2000; Edo – 2002; Abuja – 2004; Abeokuta, Ogun State – 2006; Kaduna – 2009; Rivers State – 2011.

Others are: Lagos state – 2012; Abuja – 2018 and Edo 2021.

From 1999 till date, 10 national sports festival held so far, DELTA STATE won 8 out of the 10.