Nigeria Awarded Rights To Become First Country To Host Commonwealth Championships

Nigeria Awarded Rights To Become First Country To Host Commonwealth Championships

By Niyi Busari

The Commonwealth Fencing Federation (CFF) has formally awarded the hosting rights for the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships to the Nigeria Fencing Federation (NFF) ahead of Australia. 

This makes Nigeria the first sub-Saharan nation to stage the tournament.

In a letter issued on Thursday, March 27, signed by CFF President Marie-France Dufour and addressed to all member nations, it was resolved by a majority decision of the Board to award the hosting rights to Nigeria after reviewing the Technical Committee's report. The letter stated, “As most of you are no doubt aware, the CFF received bids from two prospective hosts for the upcoming 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran Championships. After some discussion, it was resolved, by a majority decision of the Board, to provisionally award the event to the Nigerian Fencing Federation, subject to their addressing certain shortcomings identified in their original bid.”

The statement added, “This additional information was submitted to the CFF Technical Committee and reviewed at their meeting on March 19, 2025.

The committee delivered its recommendations to the Board, and these were discussed at the CFF Board meeting of March 27, 2025, after which it was agreed, by majority decision of the Board, to formally award the 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran Championships to the Nigerian Fencing Federation. The CFF congratulates the Nigerian Fencing Federation on being named host of these championships and wishes them every success in this endeavour.”

An elated President of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, described the trust reposed in Nigeria as a major boost to the fortunes of fencing in the country.

He, however, appealed for more support from both the public and private sectors for the sport.

“We bid for the hosting rights alongside Australia, and nobody ever gave us a chance to win. But after observing us host the Fencing World Cup in 2024, the CFF was convinced that we are ready to host any world-class tournament. I must acknowledge that this would not have been possible without the support of well-meaning individuals, Charter House Lagos, and my board members. With what we have achieved in the last year, the world is now looking towards Nigeria as a nation with the potential to produce champions and host top-class events. We are humbled by this honour to host the prestigious tournament, and we will start working towards hosting a befitting tournament. We intend to use this year’s African Senior Championships and the World Cup as tests for the Commonwealth Championships in 2026,” he said.