Deaf sports stakeholders in Lagos State have announced plans for a peaceful protest at the National Stadium, Surulere, on Monday to oppose the exclusion of deaf sports from the 2026 National Sports Festival in Enugu.
The stakeholders described the decision as discriminatory, arguing that deaf athletes deserve equal opportunities alongside para-athletes at the national competition, tagged the Coal City Games, scheduled for November 27 to December 11, 2026.
Separately, the Nigeria Deaf Football Association has announced a protest in Abuja from October 19 to 22, targeting the Presidential Villa and National Assembly Complex. The association says the Nigeria Deaf Eagles are still owed allowances and bonuses from the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship in Malaysia, alongside outstanding payments to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.
President of the Nigeria Deaf Sports Federation, Alhaji Suleiman Dagbo, said the National Council on Sports approved the inclusion of at least three deaf sports as compulsory events at its May 22, 2024 meeting in Enugu.
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At the 2024 Gateway Games in Abeokuta, athletics, badminton and table tennis were selected, with 124 deaf athletes from 22 states winning 100 medals, according to the federation.
Dagbo argued that reversing the decision without consultation undermined years of advocacy and participation. He estimated that more than 300 deaf athletes nationwide could be affected.
Former national deaf athletics champion Badmus Nurudeen called for equal treatment, saying athletes wanted the opportunity to prove themselves through competition.
Coach Emmanuel Audu warned that uncertainty over participation was disrupting preparations, while Oyo State Deaf Sports Secretary Segun Oyedeji cited the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act of 2018.
Oyedeji warned that a nationwide boycott could follow if the exclusion was not reversed.
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