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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The organisers of the Edo Heritage Sports Festival and Carnival, a talent contest, yesterday, said about 2,800 persons will participate in the forthcoming event geared towards building talents in the Nigerian youths.
Princess Omoyemwen Adeyinka-Afolabi, chief executive officer, Heritage and Sports Colony International, said the event is targeted at reaching the grassroots, promoting Nigeria’s rich culture and encouraging girl-child participation in sports.
Briefing newsmen in Benin City, Adeyinka-Afolabi said the eight-day 5th edition of the initiative which will take place at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, will feature entertainment, culture and varieties of sports competitions.
She said the Edo Heritage Sports Festival and Carnival is in partnership with the Edo State Skills Development Agency( EdoJobs),an intervention agency under Edo state government.
“This event is a blend of culture and sports. As well as entertainment. We believe in making our society better. The Edojobs will use this platform to empower 1,000 people on pastries and cookies, gele and kuku making.
“Sports cut across every cadre of people. Using sports as a platform to curb social vices, promote education. Some of the sporting activities are chess, rugby, taekwondo, traditional wrestling, athletes.
“For entertainment, we have the beauty pageant and it is a non-bikini pageant. It is focused inward to ensure our girls understand the core values of culture. So, it actually a cultural pageant.
“The Edo heritage sports festival and carnival was born in 2017, where we had contemporary sporting events, traditional sports, entertainment and core cultural activities.
“This is the 5th edition, if not for Covid-19, it would have been the 6th edition. It is a joint partnership with Edojobs for skills acquisition. We have a good platform for all teeming artistes.
“This edition is for purely youths. There are some events for teenagers. The sports is majorly limited to young people but the skill acquisition is opened to all,” she said.
