Why the Lights Went Out During 10,000m Final at National Sports Festival – Shehu Dikko Explains
Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has explained why there was a power outage during the men’s 10,000m final at the 2024 National Sports Festival.
The race, which took place on Saturday at the newly renovated MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Ogun State, was the last event of the day. However, midway through the race, the stadium lights suddenly went off, leaving the athletes to finish the event in darkness.
The blackout lasted for about 20 minutes, and although the race continued, many, including winner Francis James from Plateau State, said the power cut disrupted their performance. James still managed to win in a time of 30:36:50, but he believed he could have run faster if the lights had not gone out.
Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Sunday, Dikko blamed the outage on a technical issue.
“It was a technical glitch,” Dikko said. “This is something that can happen with new infrastructure like this, especially when it has been running continuously for several days.”
He added, “The most important thing is that it was fixed quickly. It didn’t take the whole day to restore power, and that shows the team was prepared. Unfortunately, it happened during a race that couldn’t be stopped.”
Dikko also mentioned that in the future, organisers may consider backup systems like solar power, depending on the stadium’s energy needs.
The 2024 edition of the National Sports Festival is one of the biggest ever, with 2,150 medals available across 549 events. A new addition to this year’s competition is the Invited Junior Athletes category, which allows younger athletes to compete alongside senior ones and showcase their skills on a national level.
