A 60-member team of student-athletes has departed Nigeria for Annaba, Algeria, to participate in the inaugural African School Sports Championship, scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 5, 2025.
The Nigerian delegation will compete in 10 different sports, including athletics (12 athletes), swimming (8), football (18), taekwondo (4), beach canoe (4), badminton (3), basketball 3×3 (3), beach volleyball (2), cycling (2), and table tennis (2).
Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, described the competition as a landmark event in Nigeria’s grassroots sports development journey.
“This championship means a lot to us because it is about planting seeds. These student-athletes are ambassadors of our future. We are deliberate in creating pathways from the classroom to the global stage,” he said.
Before their departure, the team was camped at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja for intensive training and final preparations.
The championship, organised by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), is designed to promote Olympic values among African youth and serve as a platform for talent discovery and development at the grassroots level.
In line with tournament regulations, all athletes submitted valid school certificates, while the NSC, in partnership with the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), ensured that parental authorisations were obtained for all underage participants.
Nigeria’s participation in the continental event is part of the federal government’s broader agenda to invest in grassroots talent development. It also aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to build a vibrant and sustainable sports ecosystem that nurtures young talent and prepares them for elite-level performance.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Comments are closed.