Edo 2020: FCT Athletes Will Be Well Compensated - Luka Istifanus

  Edo 2020: FCT Athletes Will Be Well Compensated - Luka Istifanus By Omolagba Oluwayemi Ahead of the forthcoming Edo 2020 Sports Festival, FCT Director of Sports, Luka Istifanus has assured FCT athletes who are billed to represent the FCT of good welfare package provided they put in their best in the tournament. While speaking with BSNSports.com.ng he talked about how he got the message about the new date for the festival. "It was on Friday at about 12 to 1pm that I received a letter through my WatsApp that the National Sports Festival which had suffered so many postponment will now take place from the 2nd to 14th of April at Benin City, Edo State and immediately we received the letter, we translated it to our principals, the Permanent Secretary,  Olushade Adeshola and the Minister of FCT,  Mohammed Musa Bello, and immediately they got our message, they instructed us to mobilize our athletes for camping, starting preparations with immediate effect. "We started the close camping on Monday and yesterday the Permanent Secretary said he'll love  to come inspect the athletes, the facilities, hostel and all other thing at the area 10 complex so that's the reason we stopped the athletes from going for their morning training so as to be available to welcome the permanent secretary before going to their various training grounds." Asked about the release of funds for the events, he said; "Release of money for the competition has a lot of procedures and I cannot tell if or not the file has already scaled through but it's been submitted and for them to have asked us to start preparation, it means they are going to give us approval or the approval has been granted already but the release of money will follow normal procedure." Reacting to compensating  the medal winning athletes at the coming events, he said, "You remember that on two occassions FCT Administrations gave lands to athletes who won laurels at previous national sports festival. The immediate past edition, 2019 hosted by Abuja, around September last year, you'll recall vividly that gold medalist in singles events were given N300,000, gold medalist in team events were given N150,000, silver medalist in individual events were given N200,000, silver medalist in team events were given N100,000. Bronze medalist in single events were given N100,000, bronze medalist in team events were given N50,000. "The athletes and officials appreciated the gesture and were very delighted when the money were distributed and I want to believe that something bigger will come up this time around because our recommendation is much more far than what was given last year and we're praying that the government should answer our requests. "We're also recommending so many insentives for those who are going to win medals, so I believe the government will answer our request, he added. "We're ready, we started preparation since the February date was postponed. We didn't relent in our training programmes and what you're witnessing today is the beginning of the close camp where athletes are going to stay together in the hostel to intensify their training program. "We have drawn them although they're few number of them still writing exams and as soon as they are done with their exams, they will catch up with their colleagues and will also have few of them that are civil servants that have not been released by their employers but I believe that by next Monday, the camp will resume fully with all the athletes and officials." "For the permanent secretary to deem it fit to come here to address the athletes, it means he is coming with a lot of good tidings." This he said when asked if the presence of the permanent secretary will bring improvements to the facilities in the stadium. The 20th Sports Festival in Edo State will commence April 2nd and ends 14th April.