Sports

Japanese Embassy Donates over 100 Kendama Sports Kits to children in Nigeria

Published

4 years ago

April 3, 2023

Joel Ajayi

The Japanese embassy to Nigeria has donated Kendama Sports equipment to over 100 Nigeria’s children as a way of promoting the game in the country.

Over the weekend, Tony International Gymnastics TIG Club of Nigeria in conjunction with Japan Embassy in Nigeria, introduced another brand new creative Sports called “Kendama Toothed Sport” to the country.

The first ever Kendama toothed Sports games took place at Moshood Abiola National stadium Gymnastic hall where children and parents in numbers learn how to play Kendama for the first time.

At the exhibition of the game, the Japanese Ambassador Matsunaga Kazuyoshi highlighted the importance of the kendama sports game.

He expressed that the game will help to build the physical, mental and social benefits including good aerobic exercise and development of concentration of children.

“By donating Kendama kits to children and their parents, I hope it will build family bonds and build children’s confidence. Playing kendama together can be fun and engaging activities, it will allow children to progress and achieve at their own pace.

“We hope this donation will give children in Nigeria the opportunity to learn and play Kendama and experience the benefit that comes with it.

“We also hope that this donation will help to strengthen the bilateral relations between our two countries and highlight the potential of kendama for social impact in Nigeria.

An elated Founder of TIG Club coach Anthony Asuoqo thanked the Japanese embassy for counting TIG Club worthy, saying the club is going to its best to promote the game in Nigeria and beyond.

According to him, the new game is about their mental alertness, it’s about techniques, and coordination.

“It’s a thing of joy for me that this game was introduced to Nigeria through TIG Club, today we have over 100 children and their parents.

“We will be working with the Japanese embassy to spread the game. We have determined to take this game to all the states, the game has to go round the country as well as all the gymnastics clubs and federations.”

It will be recalled that Japan Embassy and TIG Club of Abuja over the years had partnered with the aim of prospering sports in Nigeria.

There is no doubt the partner is now contributing to the growth and development of sports such as gymnastic, Karate, Taekwondo and now Kendama sports

However, The Kendama game is a traditional Japanese skill toy that consists of a handle (ken), a pair of cups (sarado), and a ball (tama) that are all connected together by a string.

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

5 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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