Hockey excluded from 23rd National Sports Festival

Hockey has been removed from the 23rd National Sports Festival, scheduled to take place in Enugu in 2026, according to a letter sent to zonal coordinators on August 24. The Main Organising Committee announced that the zonal qualifiers for the Games, set to begin on September 12 across the six geopolitical zones, would only include basketball, cricket, football, volleyball and beach volleyball for both male and female athletes.

Hockey and abula, which were part of the last Games held in Ogun State, have been dropped from the event. The first and second-placed teams from the zonal eliminations will qualify for the main National Sports Festival in Enugu, which was chosen to host the event in November 2024. However, the exact dates for the Games have not been announced yet.

The decision to exclude hockey is reportedly due to the lack of a suitable facility in Enugu, with Delta State being considered as an alternative location. The National Sports Commission had previously confirmed that the Games would feature only 20 sports, down from 39 at the previous two editions.