Sports Festival: Mgt Company throws out ambush advertisers

Marketing and Management Company for the embattled National Sports Festival says it has succeeded in kicking out what it described as back door advertisers who wish to sow where they did not sow.

Speaking on expectations of the 19th edition of the festival which got underway Thursday in Abuja after series of postponement, Chairman of the management company Paul Abanua revealed that the company have had to throw out a popular energy drink out of the Abuja National Stadium, after the brand promised to get involved but back pedaled only to roll out its advert from the back door at the venue.

The company’s staff according to him are on ground at the venues with a view to kicking out companies who do not want to pass through the front door.

The festival if properly supported he said is capable of taking many youths off vices ranging from drug abuse to cultism and other heinous crimes.

On insinuations in some quarters that the festival no longer discovers young athletes, Abanua said there is a plan to introduce sports camp from second quarter of next year with a view to identifying young athletes who will be trained to compete from the next edition.

“One of our plans is to start having sports camp from second quarter of next year. We will identify talented ones train them so that by 2020 we already have home bred athletes that can compete at the festival and even internationally” he said

The festival was last held in 2012 in Lagos. Cross River that was to take on the mantle blamed lack of funds for decision to make a U-turn. 8,861 athletes are taking part in the festival even as some sports fans in the FCT are yet to make up their minds whether or not to hit the venue to watch events.