The Nigerian National Sports Commission (NSC) announced that 20 sports will feature at the 2026 National Sports Festival. The decision was announced following a meeting between the Commission and States’ Directors of Sports.

Chess, volleyball, karate, kickboxing, and other disciplines were excluded from the list of approved sports. The Director General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, explained that the decision to reduce the number of sports was taken due to the current economic situation in the country.

According to Olopade’s statement, the model adopted by the Commission aligns with global trends. Bukola cited the format used for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where several sports have been merged to ensure cost effectiveness and operational efficiency.

The National Sports Festival is Nigeria’s multi-sport event held every two years. Chess became a recognized medal sport at the festival in 1985, following its official recognition as a sport in Nigeria that year. Nigeria has 55 titled players, including 0 GMs, 8 IMs, and 17 FMs, at the time of publication.

Credit: Dominik Gigler / Hubert Burda Media