Ado Salisu
A potential free-for-all fight was narrowly avoided at the Abeokuta Golf Centre following the controversial disqualification of female golfers from Kano State during the medal stage of the ongoing National Sports Festival.
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The Kano women golfers, who were on the verge of securing medals, were suddenly disqualified by tournament officials over alleged cheating in their score records.
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Investigations by our correspondent revealed that just as the Kano team’s chances of winning medals became apparent, the officiating team accused them of falsifying their records.
However, efforts by the Acting Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Ibrahim Umar Fagge, to obtain clarification from the officials were unsuccessful, as they failed to provideconcrete evidence to justify their actions.
Fagge condemned the disqualification, describing it as unfair and a deliberate attempt to sabotage the hard work and preparation of the Kano team.
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He called on the National Sports Commission and key stakeholders to urgently intervene to safeguard the integrity of golf and other sports at the festival.
The Kano team also accused the Technical Director of Golf, Mr. Jide, of biased judgment, alleging that his decisions appeared to favor the host state, Ogun.
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Further fueling the controversy, sources revealed that tournament officials allegedly deleted the draws from the official WhatsApp platform used by match officials.
This move has been perceived as an attempt to cover up questionable decisions and tarnish the efforts of the Ogun State Government and the National Sports Commission.
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Repeated efforts to reach the Technical Director, Mr. Jide, for comments proved futile, as he was reportedly absent from the golf venue.
However, after the intervention of senior match officials, the Kano women’s team was eventually awarded the gold medal.