Deaf sports stakeholders in Lagos State will stage a serene demonstration at the National Stadium, Surulere, on Monday (today) to oppose the exemption of deaf sports from the National Sports Festival in Enugu, in spite of the addition of para sports, The PUNCH reports.
The professional athletes and authorities state the choice totals up to discrimination, and they hope that their voices reach the federal government. They argue that deaf and para-athletes both deal with impairments, so there is no factor to treat them in a different way.
The celebration, tagged the Coal City Games, will be kept in Enugu from November 27 to December 11, 2026.
Individually, the Nigeria Deaf Football Association has actually revealed a serene demonstration in Abuja from October 19 to 22, directed at the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly Complex. It states the Nigeria Deaf Eagles are still owed allowances and bonus offers from the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship in Malaysia, which financial obligations to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf for registration, lodging and feeding stay unsettled.
The President of the Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation, Alhaji Suleiman Dagbo, stated the National Council on Sports authorized the addition of not more than 3 Deaf Sports as required occasions at a conference in Enugu on May 22, 2024, which the guideline was composed into the celebration’s basic guidelines. At the 2024 Gateway Games in Abeokuta, Athletics, Badminton and Table Tennis were chosen, and 124 Deaf professional athletes from 22 states won 100 medals, comprised of 28 gold, 28 silver and 42 bronze.
“Para Sports are currently combined with able-bodied occasions under the existing 27 required sports, yet they stay different federations. Leaving Out Deaf Sports, a federation with over 10 years of advocacy and tested involvement, while consisting of more recent Para disciplines, develops an imbalance,” Dagbo stated.
He stated the choice was reversed at a remarkable council conference in Abeokuta in April 2025 without speaking with the federation, which the NSC had actually not responded to its letters. He approximated that over 300 Deaf professional athletes across the country are impacted.
Previous nationwide deaf sports promote Badmus Nurudeen stated the professional athletes just desired a sporting chance.
“We are requesting equivalent treatment and level playing field. Provide us the chance to contend, and let our efficiency on the field and table promote us. Deaf professional athletes are Nigerians too.”
Coach Emmanuel Audu, a technical agent on the federation’s board, stated the unpredictability had actually injured preparations.
“Uncertainty eliminates training. When a sport is moved from mandatory to optional without assessment, coaches can not prepare, states can not budget plan, and professional athletes ask, ‘Why train if there is no platform?'”
Segun Oyedeji, Secretary of the Oyo State Deaf Sports, likewise pointed out the 2018 Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act. He questioned how Para Athletics can be combined with able-bodied sports while Deaf sports is excluded. He alerted of an across the country boycott if the choice is not reversed.
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