‘NSC excluded Para-soccer from NSF’

The Para-Soccer Federation of Nigeria on Wednesday said the exclusion of the sport from the National Sports Festival was the decision of the National Sports Commission.

Misbahu Didi, a member of the board of the federation and founder of Para-soccer said this in a statement in Abuja.

The statement said that there had been an insinuation that the federation’s board had woefully failed to meet its responsibilities to ensure the inclusion of the sport in the festival.

It noted that the policy of the NSC said that a maximum of 25 sports should feature at a particular festival with 20 compulsory and 5 optional.

It also noted that the country has 35 sports federations.

“Against this back drop, the federation wishes to make it clear to the general public that the inclusion of Para-soccer in the National Sports Festival is not the responsibility of the federation.

“It is the policy of the regulatory body of sports, the NSC that a maximum of 25 sports shall feature at a particular festival.

“While the 20 compulsory sports are selected based on laid down criteria the choice of 5 sports from the list of 15 optional sports is the exclusive prerogative of the host state.

“It is therefore evident that 10 sports, including Para-soccer from the list of the existing 35 sports federations will not feature in the 18th National Sports Festival,’’ the statement said.