The Nigerian Athlete Commission has pledged to make a case for the inclusion of handball in the forthcoming National Sports Festival following concerns raised by representatives of the Handball Federation of Nigeria at its maiden meeting of athletes’ representatives on Monday, October 19, 2026.

The meeting brought together athletes’ representatives from various sports federations across the country to deliberate on issues affecting Nigerian athletes and discuss ways to improve sports development.

Representing handball were the Players’ Representative on the Board of the Handball Federation of Nigeria, Mr Talle Dada Aliyu, alongside Mr Atabo Opaluwa Aminudeen and Mr Monday Agwu Omenka.

During the meeting, Aliyu made a strong appeal for handball to be included in the forthcoming National Sports Festival, citing the sport’s recent achievements, particularly the qualification of Nigeria’s Under-20 men’s national team for the International Handball Federation (IHF) World Championship.

He argued that the team’s qualification and the sport’s recent progress underscored the need for handball to be given a place at the national sporting event.

Supporting the appeal, Aminudeen stressed the urgency of including handball in the festival, noting that the sport’s continued exclusion did not reflect its growth and accomplishments.

Responding to the delegation, Chairman of the Athletes Commission, veteran basketball star and former captain of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, D’Tigers, Mr Olumide Oyedeji, assured the representatives that the commission would present a strong case for handball’s inclusion before the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Oyedeji, however, acknowledged that the request might have come late, considering the stage of preparations for the festival. Despite this, he pledged that the commission would do everything within its power to ensure the matter received due consideration.

The appeal places renewed focus on the participation of handball in the National Sports Festival, with the sport’s representatives hopeful that their concerns will be addressed by the relevant authorities.