Defending champions Delta State emerged the overall winner of the 20^th National #Sports Festival with a total of 384 medals to pip the hosts Edo State who won 341 medals.

Team Delta finished the Games with 158 gold, 116 silver and 110 bronze medals while Edo had 129 gold, 104 silver and 108 bronze medals.

Team Bayelsa was a distant third with 56 gold, 55 silver and 58 bronze medals. Sokoto and Taraba States were at the bottom of the medals table with just three and two bronze medals respectively.

The biennial sporting fiesta which officially commenced with a colourful opening ceremony on April 6, climaxed yesterday with all participants expected to depart today.

Meanwhile, Delta State will play host to the next edition  of the Festival in 2022.

Minister  of Youth and sports  Development   Sunday Dare announced  while declaring closed the 20th edition  of the Festival  tagged Edo 2020 which ended in Benin on Wednesday.

“Congratulations  to Delta State for emerging the overall winner of the Games of the  2020 National sports Festival,” declared  Dare. “I’m  glad to note that the Federal Government  received  bids  to host the 21^st  edition  of the National sports Festival in 2022 from 6 states namely:  Delta, Ebonyi, , Imo, Kaduna, Kano and Ogun.

“But following the evaluation of the bids and the physical  visitation to the prospective States, I hereby announce  Delta State as the next host of the National sports Festival in 2022.

“I congratulate the Government  and people of Delta State  for emerging  the preferred  State and wish them  best of luck in the organisation  of the 21^st  National sports Festival”

In a related development,  the strict compliance to the COVID-19 Protocol put in place by the  Main Organising Committee of the Edo 2020 National sports  Festival headed by the Permanent Secretary  of the Ministry of Youth and sports Nebeolisa Anako  in conjunction  with  the NCDC ensured that there was no spike in the spread of the dreaded  virus during the Festival.

According to  Anako :”We are excited that the Edo 2020 National sports Festival  has been  a huge success and the fear of the spread of the virus was doused due to measures put in place by the MOC, LOC, the NCDC and other relevant health agencies. 17 Rapid Diagnostic Test and  Polymerase Chain Reaction test were carried out; 11 PCR and six  RTD”.

He disclosed that the 17 persons who tested positive from 10 states  at the beginning of the sports festival were immediately isolated in line with Health guidelines While nine PCR  were positive in the course of the Festival, two were positive  on arrival.