Sports
Continental Beach Volleyball Action Heats Up at Jabi Lake with 15 Countries in Attendance
By Joel Ajayi
Jabi Lake in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, is buzzing with excitement as it plays host to the 2025 U18 African Beach Volleyball Championship, under the auspices of the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB).
The scenic lakeside venue has been transformed with purpose-built, world-class artificial courts, setting a vibrant and professional stage for the tournament. Nigeria is proudly welcoming athletes from 15 African nations, including Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, and others, for this prestigious youth competition.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s kickoff in Abuja, President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation Engr Musa Nimrod, expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to deliver a top-tier event and reaffirmed the country’s ambition to dominate the sport at the youth level.
“Nigeria is ready to showcase excellence—both in hosting and performance. We aim to maintain our dominance in youth beach volleyball across the continent,” Nimrod said.
He emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the vision of CAVB President Madam Bouchra Hajij, noting that the country’s hosting of the event reflects its dedication to advancing beach volleyball in Africa.
“So far, so good. I feel very honoured that Nigeria was given the hosting rights. It’s a great challenge, but we are fully prepared.”
“We currently have 15 countries participating. The artificial courts are ready, the sand is high quality, and the facilities look fantastic. Our preparations have been commendable.
“Security and medical arrangements are firmly in place, according to Nimrod, with the National Sports Commission’s medical team on standby and all health protocols including COVID-19 safety measures being observed.
He also acknowledged the support of stakeholders and partners such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Control Committee, comprising volleyball federation presidents from across Africa.
“Let’s be clear this is beach volleyball, not indoor volleyball. Southern African countries like South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana are very strong in this category. They gave us tough battles during the last championship in Morocco.
“West African countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Senegal, and Ghana also have solid teams. In indoor volleyball, it’s North Africa especially Egypt that dominates. Egypt has blocked our path to the Olympics in the past.”
However, Nimrod believes the tides are turning. He praised Nigeria’s young athletes especially the duo of Esther and Pamela for their recent victories over top teams like Egypt.
“Our girls defeated Egypt, and even though Morocco celebrated after beating us in the semi-finals last time, we’re now fielding even younger players who are performing remarkably well,” he added.
Nimrod noted that Nigeria’s calendar is packed with international engagements. After this championship, Nigerian teams will travel to Burundi for the Beach Volleyball World Tour (Class I), followed by tournaments in Rwanda and The Gambia.
He also highlighted the importance of the sport in the build-up to the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, where beach volleyball is the only volleyball category represented.
“Our players will be fully engaged until September 9th. And let’s not forget—Nigeria recently qualified for the Beach Volleyball World Championship in Australia. Even the Australian Embassy in Nigeria reached out in surprise and support,” he revealed.
“They’ve met with us, and the Australian Ambassador has scheduled a meeting with our players. Two of our girls will be heading to Australia, and we’re proud of that.”
He concluded by appreciating the support of all contributors to Nigeria’s volleyball success, including the federation’s Grand Patron.
“We’re making waves, and I deeply appreciate the incredible work being done by my mother, our Grand Patron. Her support has been immense.”
With high expectations and rising momentum, the 2025 U18 African Beach Volleyball Championship promises not just fierce competition, but a showcase of emerging talent and Africa’s growing prominence in global beach volleyball.
Sports
Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney
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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