Sports

BetKing Wheelchair Basketball League: 3 teams progress to Finals in Abuja

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2024

Joel Ajayi

After three days of intense action, Team Lagos, Team Ogun and Team Oyo have qualified for the Final of the 2024 Betking Wheelchair Basketball National League which will take place at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja between May 19th to 22nd.

A total number of six teams comprising: Abia, Delta, Imo, Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states participated at the 2024 Betking Wheelchair Basketball National League (Atlantic Conference) which ended on Friday.

The President of Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation, Seyi Johnson told newsmen in Asaba that the Atlantic Conference lived up to expectations with the performances of the players.

Johnson said the players have shown that Nigeria possesses players who can ply their trades in European Leagues.

He said, “You can see the amazement in the spectators because most of them have not seen physically challenged individuals play basketball. One thing I am taking back home after the Atlantic Conference is that there is ability in disability. After watching the teams play during the league, the Director of Finance in Delta State Sports Commission promised never to miss the league.

“It has been wonderful; the Atlantic Conference of the Betking Wheelchair Basketball National League 2024 has brought out a lot of explosive experience as well as upsets. You can imagine Ogun state defeating host Delta by two points; see the kind of shots by the players”.

Johnson vowed to build on the successes recorded at the ongoing Wheelchair Basketball League and make it more marketable for Nigerians.

He said, “I promised to take wheelchair basketball from where it was to an enviable position among the committee of para sports. This is the first league in Nigeria for any para sports; we are building awareness throughout the country. The Savannah Conference took place in Kano City last month (April) and the experience was good for both the Northern players and the state; we are doing the same all over the country.

“After the final of the Betking Wheelchair Basketball National League in Abuja, our destination is Edo state for the President’s Cup”.

Team Kano, Team Kwara, Team Lagos, Team Ogun and Team Oyo will slug it out at the Final of the 2024 Betking Wheelchair Basketball National League in Abuja.

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Sports

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

Published

13 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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