Flag football debuted at the National Sports Festival at the Gateway Games.
The Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA) ultimate goal is to secure the trophy at the African Flag Football Tournament in Cairo, Egypt after debuting at the Gateway Games.
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Lagos crowned champions of flag football at Gateway Games
The flag football demonstration at the 22nd National Sports Festival, delivered a fitting climax as Team Lagos claimed the gold medal.
In a tightly contested final, Lagos outperformed Team Abuja, who secured the silver medal, while Team Kano battled their way to a commendable bronze finish.
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22:51 - 27.05.2025
National Sports Festival 2024: Ogun clinches mixed doubles title in table tennis
Ogun State shone in the table tennis event at the ongoing National Sports Festival.
The competition, featured eight states, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Ogun, Kaduna, Cross River, Enugu, and Ondo.
Nigeria gunning for victory in African Tournament
Seye Obatolu, Vice President of NAFA, who spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival revealed that their aim is to win African tournament.
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"Our expectation is to win, and our aim is to bring back the trophy to Nigeria," declared Obatolu, underlining the association's unwavering commitment to making the nation proud on the continental stage.
The inaugural African Flag Football Championship, set to take place from June 20-21, 2025, in Cairo.
The tournament will serve as a stepping stone towards qualification for the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships and the sport's historic Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
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15:08 - 24.05.2025
National Sports Festival: Ogun wins Gold In Wheelchair Basketball Mixed event
Team Ogun clinches Gold in Wheelchair Basketball at Gateway Games 2024
Obatolu detailed NAFA's rigorous preparation process, which includes an intensive training camp.
"We’re preparing—we’re going to be camping for the rest of the weeks before we travel," he confirmed.
This period of concentrated training follows a comprehensive two-month scouting and evaluation phase that saw NAFA officials scour various leagues across the country to identify top talent.
"We’ve just gone through a two-month process of selecting the players that we feel are ready to represent Nigeria," Obatolu explained.
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He continued, "Now, we are going to go through another few weeks in terms of telling these players exactly what we want them to do representing us."
Obatolu highlighted the non-contact nature of the sport as a key advantage, making it more appealing and less intimidating for new participants, particularly younger athletes.
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09:27 - 23.05.2025
National Sports Festival: 15-Year-Old Florence Olarinoye balances Silver medal win with WAEC exam
15-Year-Old Florence Olarinoye balanced her Silver medal win with WAEC exams after winning medal with her mother
"There are many misconceptions about American Football being overly physical and tackle-focused. This is an opportunity to highlight the safer aspects of the sport," he noted, adding that the Gateway Games showcase is an excellent platform for talent identification.
From an initial pool of 50 male and 50 female athletes, the roster has been meticulously trimmed to 25 male and 25 female players, ready to represent the nation.
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