National Sports Festival to serve as trials for African Games Athletes... Ministry of Sports

Sports Festival to Serve as Trials for African Games Athletes... Ministry of Sports By Niyi Busari The ministry of youth and sports has insisted that the National Sports Festival (NSF) will serve as Trials to select athletes for the for the African Games, while tasking sports federations on early preparation for the holding in Morocco. Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Department (FEAD), Tayo Oreweme made this known during a meeting with federations' Secretaries and technical directors in Abuja that 16 sports have been earmarked to represent Nigeria at the continental championship. "All athletes both in the country and in the Diaspora, who want to fly the country's colours at the next African Games, must participate in the 2018 NSF. There will be no special treatment as we want only the best to represent the country," Oreweme said. She however, tasked the Federations to commence preparations for the Games. "22 sports were initially chosen before Associations of National Olympic Committee in Africa (ANOCA; the official organisers of the 2019 African Games informed us that 18 sports were confirmed or the event. Budgetary restrictions ensured that we have to carefully analyse the precedents of your federations and thereby arrived at the number of 16," she added. "With ANOCA involved, para-soorts has been knocked out of the games thereby removing a strong part of Nigeria's medal drive, but I know that we also have a strong history with the able-bodied and this is why you are here today. Our aim is to come out in the top position of the African Games for the first time outside the country." The 16 listed sports are table tennis, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, football, handball, judo, rowing, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, Volleyball, and beach volleyball.