The National Sports Commission (NSC) is using the North Central Zonal Qualifiers in Jos as part of its renewed drive to strengthen the pathway from grassroots sports to the elite level.
North Central Zonal Coordinator, Oludukiya Emmanuel, said the competition provides an important platform for athletes and teams from the zone to compete, gain exposure and push for places at the National Intermediate Games and the 23rd National Sports Festival.
“The main objective of the National Sports Commission is to bring people from the grassroots to the elite,” Oludukiya said.
He explained that the Commission’s approach goes beyond staging competitions, with greater emphasis being placed on identifying athletes at the grassroots and creating opportunities for them to progress to the national stage.
“We are also keying into President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. That is why we are refocusing and rebuilding the grassroots so that we can take them to the podium,” he stated.
The zonal championship features about seven sports, with athletes from the North Central states competing for qualification to the national competitions.
Oludukiya said the NSC had made substantial preparations for the championship, with participating states already arriving in Jos and competition venues prepared across the city.
“As you can see on the ground, we are very much prepared for this intra-zonal championship. We have put in so much funding and interest, and some states have already started arriving,” he said.
The competition is being held across several facilities, including St. John’s College, the NTA College playing ground and other sporting venues in Jos.
For the NSC, the variety of sports on the programme is also part of the effort to broaden opportunities for athletes beyond the traditional sporting disciplines.
Oludukiya highlighted beach volleyball among the sports included in the championship, pointing to recent performances by Nigerian teams as evidence of the potential that exists in developing less traditional sporting disciplines.
“Beach volleyball is a moving sport in Nigeria. Just recently, our Nigeria female Beach senior won the African nation cup Championship.
“That is why we decided to include beach volleyball in the National Sports Festival. It has been there before, but we are working to improve the sport,” he explained.
The qualifiers will ultimately determine which athletes and teams progress to the National Intermediate Games in Lagos and the 23rd National Sports Festival in Enugu.
With the North Central states now competing for those opportunities, the NSC believes the Jos championship can serve both as a qualification platform and as an important step in its broader effort to discover, develop and prepare the next generation of Nigerian athletes.