By Solomon Nwoke, Port Harcourt
Brown Ebewele, a big name in Nigerian sports has described as “scandal” the flouting of rules over athletes’ legitimacy in the ongoing National Sports Festival and blamed the organisers, the National Sports Festival for this.

“Many of  the Civil Defence athletes and even Police athletes who are based in places like Abuja are here competing for Rivers State, Ebewele complained, insisting that if the rules applied they would all be disqualified.

“This is scandal on the part of NSC,” he fumed, adding “the rule says that for you to compete for a state you must be resident in that state for not less than a year. Athletes here have flouted that rule. The only other way is to make the Festival open, without restrictions. I don’t blame Rivers State. They want to win. But I blame those who are supposed to enforce the rules, the National Sports Commission. They have stomached anomalies and I’m disappointed.”

Ebewele, an Olympian who for years was Decathlon champion, was also variously Director of Sports and later Commissioner of Sports in Edo State. He is known for his blunt views in sports.

Delta State head of sports Amaju Melvin Pinnick commended Rivers State for their effort in hosting the Festival but pleaded that “they should do something to ease traffic congestion in PorthCourt for the games to move on. “Where one cannot move from one venue to another, it denies the games the colour and atmosphere that  make them a festival,” Amaju complained while hoping that the organisers should uphold fair play in all areas for true winners to emerge.