By Ben Efe 8.9.2026
Athletes and coaches’ preparations for the inaugural National Intermediate Games have been torpedoed by a forced postponement of the event by the National Sports Commission.
The NIG was originally scheduled for October 1-15 in Lagos but the venues and technical requirements are yet to be competition ready and according to a statement by NSC Tuesday the games will come on stream between the months of January and March 2027.
NSC said the decision to shelve the NIG for now became necessary following a comprehensive review of preparations for the Games by the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the NSC and an independent Quality Control and Assurance Specialist.
A Joint Technical meeting held from September 3 to 6, 2026 determined that key aspects of the preparations event could not deliver a standard national sporting contest and time was running out.
The assessment examined a wide range of areas considered critical to the successful hosting of the inaugural edition, including the proposed sporting facilities, events to be contested, technical requirements, rules and regulations, as well as other operational issues connected with the organisation of the competition.
The NSC said it will continue with its own side of preparations towards the NIG. These include accreditation, zonal elimination for team sports and other technical and operational readiness.
Meanwhile NSC elite and podium board director Yusuf Alli stressed the importance of the NIG, noting that it was born out of the need to discover and groom athletes for the future in different sports disciplines.
“The games is focused on talent discovery, it is to identify and develop our youth talents
“Young athletes who may not have what it takes, but will have it in the nearest future…those are the ones we are concentrating on.”
He said it is now up to the states to prepare their athletes and not wait for other states who invest in grassroots development to pouch for athletes.