NIGERIAN FESTIVAL INCLUDES SOFTBALL
2009-02-11

The 16th National Sports Festival begins this Sunday (February 15) in Nigeria, with softball one of the 30 sports that will be contested. The event will take place in Kaduna and runs through February 23rd.

Being played at the Murtala Mohammed Square, the softball competition will be women’s fast pitch. As the National Sports Festival is organized by the federal government, the tournament will consist of state teams. Although there is no age mandate for the participants, the Nigerian Softball Association says they are “usually adults.” The games will be played under International Softball Federation rules.

The National Sports Festival is organized every two years and softball began as a demonstration sport in 1995 before becoming an official part of the program in 2002 at the 13th edition in Edo State.

Delta State comes in as the defending softball champion, having won the gold medals at the 15th National Sports Festival in April 2006 in Ogun State. (Kwara State took home the silver while Lagos won the bronze.)

Nigerian Softball Association Development Secretary Robert Onwukwe reports that, “The next state to host is yet to be decided, though interested states have begun to bid and this will be announced at the end of (this upcoming) edition.”

The National Sports Commission supervises the operation of the National Sports Festival and the appointed Minister of Sports as the Chairperson to the Main Organizing Committee.

The ISF recently sent softball equipment to Nigeria for use during the games that start this weekend.