By our reporter 25.4.2026
Following the reduction of the number of sports for the 2026 National Sports Festival, some Northern States have threatened to stay away from the Coal City 2026 Games.
This is coming on the heels of a similar threat to boycott by some South South States who are also not happy with scale down of sports events for Coal City Games. They have called on the National Sports Commission for dialogue.
Speaking on the development on Saturday, the Niger State Sports Commission chairman Abdullahi Masu said the decision by the National Sports Commission to reduce the number of sporting events from 40 to 15, describing the move as unjustifiable and detrimental to sports development.
Masu noted that northern states, including Niger, have already invested significant resources over the years in training athletes for the now-excluded events.
He argued that the decision would marginalize the region, which traditionally has a comparative advantage in several team sports.
According to him, participation in the festival under such conditions would amount to a waste of public funds, as many athletes would be denied the opportunity to compete.
He further lamented that several popular and foundational team sports—such as handball, volleyball, basketball, football, and hockey—have been removed from the festival lineup.
He warned that the exclusion of these events could lead to increased unemployment among athletes and undermine grassroots sports development.
Masu described the decision as a setback to national sports growth and called for its immediate reversal.
He urged the National Sports Commission to review and expand the list of events to accommodate broader participation and safeguard the interests and welfare of athletes.
NSC director-general Bukola Olapade had explained that the decision to reduce the sport events was taken by the national sports council during a vote on the matter last year in Calabar.
Table tennis survived the chop at the Coal City Games.