Sports Groove

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye           President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has congratulated Adebiyi Anthony Olusegun on earning his Level 2 refereeing certification from United World Wrestling (UWW). Adebiyi secured the international qualification after successfully completing the Level 2 Referees Course held during the 2026 African Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt. His latest achievement represents another step forward in his officiating career and underlines the NWF’s growing emphasis on developing technical officials alongside athletes. Adeniyi sponsored Adebiyi’s participation in the course as part of the federation’s commitment to exposing Nigerian officials to international training and creating a pathway for them to acquire globally recognised qualifications. The NWF President said the achievement was consistent with the board’s vision of building a stronger and more susta...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye          The Nigeria Deaf Football Association (NDFA) has announced plans for a peaceful protest in Abuja over what it describes as years of neglect, unpaid entitlements and the threat to Nigeria’s participation in major international Deaf football competitions. The association said the protest, scheduled for October 19 to 22, 2026, will be directed towards the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly Complex, with the group seeking urgent intervention from the Federal Government. According to the NDFA, members of the Nigeria Deaf Eagles are still owed allowances and bonuses from their participation at the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship in Malaysia, while debts relating to registration, accommodation and feeding allegedly remain outstanding to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD). The association also highlighted the national team’s success at the 2025 West African Deaf Footbal...

...Activist demands transparency over Abuja stadium rehabilitation, abandoned projects and maintenance failures By Maxwell Kumoye       National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko is facing fresh questions over Nigeria’s sports infrastructure spending, with the Unapologetic Masses Advocacy Movement demanding accountability for billions allocated to stadium rehabilitation and sports development. In a document titled “Talk Is Cheap: Reminder of Your Pronouncements from League to Federation to NSC,” dated October 8, 2026, the group, led by Ebbyzymore Inmohtap Numa, challenged Dikko to provide evidence of progress on commitments made during his years in football administration. The group’s concerns include the proposed 2026 N203.6 billion sports budget for 2026, particularly N18.775 billion for the first phase of rehabilitation of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium’s main bowl in Abuja and N5.8 billion for a High Performance Centre at the complex. It d...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye           President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has congratulated Adebiyi Anthony Olusegun on earning his Level 2 refereeing certification from United World Wrestling (UWW). Adebiyi secured the international qualification after successfully completing the Level 2 Referees Course held during the 2026 African Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt. His latest achievement represents another step forward in his officiating career and underlines the NWF’s growing emphasis on developing technical officials alongside athletes. Adeniyi sponsored Adebiyi’s participation in the course as part of the federation’s commitment to exposing Nigerian officials to international training and creating a pathway for them to acquire globally recognised qualifications. The NWF President said the achievement was consistent with the board’s vision of building a stronger and more susta...

By Maxwell Kumoye and Trust Ittai     The postponement of the inaugural National Intermediate Games from October 1–15, 2026 to the first quarter of 2027 has raised fresh questions about Lagos State’s preparedness to host major sporting events and, more fundamentally, its commitment to sporting infrastructure. A state that prides itself as Nigeria’s economic powerhouse and home to the country’s largest economy, Lagos’ sports infrastructure story is increasingly difficult to reconcile with its public image. The state has the resources, visibility and commercial strength to build and maintain facilities capable of hosting major national and international competitions.  Yet, year after year, some of its most important sporting venues continue to deteriorate, remain unfinished or increasingly serve purposes far removed from elite sports. The postponement of the National Intermediate Games has now brought that contradiction into sharp focus. According to the Nationa...

By Mishael Emmanuel and Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye    Team Gambia produced an impressive performance at the 2026 CAA Region II Under-18 and Under-20 Athletics Championships in Dakar, Senegal, finishing the competition with a haul of 19 medals. The Gambian contingent secured seven gold, six silver and six bronze medals, underlining the country's growing strength in youth athletics across the West African region. Throughout the championships, Gambia athletes delivered a series of outstanding performances on both the track and in the field, demonstrating talent, resilience and determination against some of the region's best young competitors. The medal haul reflects the hard work of the athletes, the dedication of the coaching crew and the continued investment in athletics development in The Gambia. In a statement after the championships, the Gambia Athletics Association praised the team's achievements and expressed appreciation to the athletes, coaches, officials and s...

By Maxwell Kumoye    Uganda's emergence as host of the 2031 African Games has been linked to the rotational hosting policy of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), a framework designed to ensure equitable distribution of the continent's biggest multi-sport event among Africa's regions. Investigations have revealed that the East African nation benefited significantly from the policy, which seeks to spread hosting opportunities across the continent rather than concentrating them in a few countries. The decision is also understood to have been aided by Nigeria's withdrawal from the race, leaving Uganda as the sole candidate for the prestigious event. For Nigeria, supporting the rotational arrangement aligns with the country's longstanding contribution to the growth of the African Games movement. The nation has already hosted the continental showpiece twice, first in Lagos in 1973 and again in Abuja in 2003, making it one of only ...

  By Maxwell Kumoye        The Akwa Ibom State sports sector may be on the verge of a major transformation following a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Commissioner for Sports, Paul Bassey, at the iconic Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The strategic session, held in Uyo, brought together chairmen and secretaries of various sports associations alongside key stakeholders, with a unified goal to address systemic challenges and reposition sports in the state for sustained growth and competitiveness. Representatives from a wide spectrum of sports, including football, boxing, karate, weightlifting, aquatic sports, chess, scrabble, and judo, engaged in robust discussions centered on practical reforms and improved administration. In his address, Bassey praised the commitment of association leaders, describing the meeting as a deliberate effort to strengthen collaboration and build a more effective sports framework.  He also ackno...

By Trust Ittai          Top sports administrators and football legends are set to converge on Auchi, Edo State, for the official launch of the Kadiri Ikhana Football Academy scheduled for March 28. Among the dignitaries expected at the event are Edo State Governor His Excellency Monday Okpebholo, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, the commission’s Director General Bukola Olopade, and President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau. The academy is the brainchild of former Super Eagles star and coach Kadiri Ikhana, who confirmed in a statement that the project, which began skeletal operations late last year, will become fully operational after the official unveiling. Ikhana, a former Enyimba International F.C. coach and an Africa Coach of the Year winner, said the academy is designed to contribute to grassroots football development in Nigeria, particularly the nurturing of young talents for age-grade national teams. Th...

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland becomes Norway's all-time record goal scorer with his 34th goal in 36 appearances after scoring twice against Slovenia on Thursday night.

The presence of many Senegal players in the Saudi Pro League benefits the national team due to the competition's high competitive level, Al-Nassr forward Sadio Mane said on Wednesday. Mane, twice African player of the year, started the season with Al-Nassr strongly, scoring two goals and making five assists in six matches playing alongside all-time great Cristiano Ronaldo. "We’re all in the Senegalese national team," Mane told the Saudi Pro League. "Of course, we sometimes talk about the league and many other things. "It's a competitive league, so all the big players want to come, like Kalidou (Koulibaly), Habib (Diallo). They're all important players for our (national team) selection, so the fact that they're here is also beneficial for the national team". Mane is still close to Al-Ettifaq midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, his former Liverpool team mate. "Ginni is one of my very good friends," Mane says. "And (with) Gin...