Volleyball, Handball Miss Out As NSC Slashes 2026 National Sports Festival To 20 Events

The National Sports Commission has confirmed that only 20 sports will feature at the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu, a decision that has sparked concern over the exclusion of several traditional events from Nigeria’s biggest multi-sport competition.

The festival, officially tagged Coal City Games, will now operate on a trimmed-down format following what the Commission described as prevailing economic realities in the country.

Among the notable sports missing from the approved list are volleyball, handball, karate, kickboxing, scramble, para-soccer and several other events that have historically formed part of the National Sports Festival.

The clarification was issued by the NSC amid growing uncertainty about the sporting lineup for the Enugu 2026 Games, following a meeting in Abuja between the Commission’s Director-General, Bukola Olopade, and Directors of Sports from across the six geopolitical zones.

According to the Commission, in a press statement signed by Mrs Kehinde Ajayi, the director of information and public relations and made available to media houses on Monday, the decision to reduce the number of sports was reached during the last National Council on Sports meeting held in Calabar.

The NSC explained that the move was designed to cut costs and streamline the organisation of the festival amid Nigeria’s current economic challenges.

However, the reduction is expected to have major implications for athletes, coaches and sports federations whose events have now been excluded from the Games.

For many athletes, the National Sports Festival serves as a critical platform for exposure, talent discovery and qualification into national teams. The absence of sports such as handball and volleyball could significantly limit competitive opportunities for emerging talents and reduce visibility for those disciplines ahead of continental and international tournaments.

The decision may also affect state sports development programmes, with many states traditionally relying on the festival to justify funding, training camps and athlete development in multiple sports.

Several stakeholders within the sports sector are already expressing fears that the exclusion of established team sports and combat events could weaken grassroots participation and further widen the gap between elite and developing sports in Nigeria.

Despite concerns, the NSC defended the restructuring, insisting that the streamlined format aligns with modern international practices.

Olopade explained that the Commission drew inspiration from the model adopted for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where organisers also reduced and merged several sports to manage costs and logistics.

The Commission further reaffirmed its exclusive mandate to organise and coordinate the National Sports Festival, while promising improved communication with states through their respective Directors of Sports.

The approved sports for the Coal City Games include athletics and para-athletics, badminton and para-badminton, basketball and wheelchair basketball (3×3), boxing, canoeing and para-canoeing, cricket, cycling, darts, football, golf, gymnastics, judo, mixed martial arts, shooting and para-shooting, swimming, table tennis and para-table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting and para-powerlifting, as well as wrestling.

Interestingly, although initial reports suggested shooting had been excluded, the NSC’s final approved list confirmed that both shooting and para-shooting will feature at the Games.

The Abuja meeting was attended by Directors of Sports from the six geopolitical zones, officials from the National Sports Festival and Para Sports Department, as well as other key stakeholders in Nigerian sports administration.

While the Commission maintains that the restructuring is necessary for sustainability, attention will now shift to how the exclusion of several sports could reshape participation, athlete development and competitive balance at the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu.