Sports

Team FCT dominates 2nd Strata Base Open Karate Championship

Published

3 years ago

April 17, 2023

Team FCT won a total of 11 medals; 5 gold, 1 silver, and 5 bronze to clinch the 1st position at the just concluded 2nd edition of the “Strata Base National Open Senior Karate Championship” in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Team Anambra came 2nd, winning a total of 8 medals; 4 gold and 4 silver. Team Strata Base came 3rd winning 9 medals; 2 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze.

Beginning 12th to 15th April, Karate fans and enthusiasts from around Nigeria got the opportunity to relax and witness spectacular bouts of Kumite and Kata among participating athletes and teams drawn from states across the country.

In a statement obtained from his verified Facebook page, Chairman South South Zone of the Karate Federation of Nigeria, Engineer Chukwudi Dimkpa, he has been true to his commitment to developing the sport and using it as a toll to engage young people away from destructive vices.

“This championship, the 4th in the series, asides from engaging young people meaningfully and showing them the possibilities of a life away from crime, was also aimed at showcasing talents to scouts and to serve as avenue to select and groom athletes who will represent Nigeria in future international competitions”.

“Upon assumption of office as the Chairman, South-South Zone KFN and Board Member representing the South-South zone, Karate Federation of Nigeria, I made a commitment that under my watch in the South South, we shall develop the sport to an enviable height and use it to provide a platform to better and meaningfully engage our youths”.

Dr. Dimkpa who is representing South South geopolitical zone on the board of Karate Federation of Nigeria expressed satisfaction in the outcome of the tournament and the result of his commitment on the behaviour of young people and on development of the sport in the zone.

“This is reflective in the outcome of the just concluded tournaments in far away Egypt and South Africa, where for the first time in our history, athletes from our zone won medals for the country in the sport including the first ever Karate gold for the country.

“These achievements are the reason we are justified in our continued sponsorship of the sport. We are fulfilled and satisfied that every participating Karataker in this edition, apart from growing and showcasing their talents, winning medals and prizes, also went home with an invaluable experience”.

Engr. Dimkpa On behalf of the event sponsor, Strata Base Group, performed the official presentation of cash prizes and certificates and the decoration of athletes and teams who won medals in different categories at the end of the competition.

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Sports

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

Published

4 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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