The National Sports Commission (NSC) has postponed the 22nd National Sports Festival to May 2025.

In a statement on Friday, NSC said the postponement was announced by the joint technical committee of the games after a meeting on Thursday.

The festival, tagged ‘2024 Gateway Games’, was initially scheduled to take place in Ogun from January 12 to 26, 2025.

The event has been rescheduled to be held from May 16 to 30, 2025.

NSC said the festival is postponed to “reflect the new direction of sports in the country and also provides more time for the implementation of recommendations made during the joint technical meeting”.

The zonal eliminations for team sports are scheduled to be held from February 23 to 28, 2025.

Bukola Olopade, director-general of NSC, said the extra months will help the commission prepare better for the sports festival.

He also announced the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, adding that the “young promising athletes will compete as a 38th state” at the event “for the first time in the history of the Games”.

“This would also get the commission to settle down properly. We’re excited for the new date and the extra five months to put everything together and show the whole country what capacity is all about,” Olopade said.

“When you think about the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, where young promising athletes will compete as a 38th state, it is a promising move towards fostering development of our best young talents and it’s happening for the first time in the history of the Games.

“It’s a strategy to empower young and promising talents and create a pathway for them to be exposed at the top level. These athletes will compete against established athletes, hoping to upset the status quo. It speaks to the core of what President Tinubu has asked of us to do.”

Vinicius Junior has been crowned The Best FIFA men’s player of the year.

The Brazilian picked up the individual honour ahead of Rodri, Jude Bellingham and other players during the award ceremony held in Doha on Monday night.

Rodri had beaten Vinicius to the 2024 Ballon d’Or prize in October. The announcement generated mixed reactions across the football world, with many fans arguing that the Real Madrid winger had had a more incredible year.

Vinicius, who had boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony alongside his club teammates, was present at the The Best gala to receive the award.

The Brazilian winger impressed Real Madrid as the club cruised to a 2023/24 double of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

He scored 26 goals and provided 11 assists as the team rocked to the silverware by shell-shocking heavyweights along the way.

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager, was named the men’s best coach, while Emiliano Martinez picked the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper.

Alejandro Garnacho’s acrobatic strike for Manchester United against Tottenham in November 2023 claimed the Puskas award for the best goal.

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 Winners

• The Best FIFA Men’s Player: Vinicius Junior
• The Best FIFA Women’s Player: Aitana Bonmati
• The Best FIFA Men’s Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
• The Best FIFA Women’s Coach: Emma Hayes
• The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper: Emialiano Martinez
• The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
• FIFA Fair Play Award: Thiago Maia
• FIFA Puskas Award: Alejandro Garnacho
• FIFA Fan Award: Guilherme Gandra Moura
• FIFA Marta Award: Marta
• FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11: Emialiano Martinez, Dani Cavajal, Ruben Dias, Antonio Rudiger, William Saliba, Jude Bellingham, Rodri, Toni Kroos, Vinicius Junior, Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland
• FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11: Alyssa Naeher, Ona Battle, Irene Paredes, Girha, Lucy Bronze, Lindsey Horan, Patricia Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Gabi Portilho, Salma Paralluelo, Graham Hensen

Mykhailo Mudryk, a Chelsea winger, has tested positive for a banned substance during a routine drug test by the English FA.

In a statement on Tuesday, Chelsea said the FA had contacted the player over “an adverse finding in a routine urine test”.

The club added that “Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances”.

Mudryk, in a post on his Instagram page, described the result as “complete shock”.

The Ukrainian insisted that he had not “done anything wrong” and was cooperating with the FA on the investigation.

The FA is yet to state which banned substance was found in Mudryk’s urine test.

Mudryk has missed the past five Chelsea matches in all competitions. He last played for the club in November. He was last included in Chelsea’s matchday squad on December 1, when the Blues won against Aston Villa. He was named a substitute but never featured.

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s head coach, had said publicly that Mudryk’s absence was due to illness.