{
  "id": 15531439,
  "title": "NSF exclusion: Deaf sports stakeholders set for protest today",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/nsf-exclusion-deaf-sports-stakeholders-set-for-protest-today",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T01:23:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/nsf-exclusion-deaf-sports-stakeholders-set-for-protest-today/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Deaf sports stakeholders in Lagos State are planning a peaceful protest at the National Stadium in Surulere on Monday to oppose their exclusion from the National Sports Festival in Enugu. This decision, despite the inclusion of para-sports, has been met with criticism as discrimination. The stakeholders argue that deaf and para-athletes both live with disabilities, so there should be no differentiation. The Nigerian Deaf Football Association has also announced a protest in Abuja from October 19 to 22, demanding unpaid allowances and bonuses from the 2023 World Deaf Football Championship and debts to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf. The Federation's President, Alhaji Suleiman Dagbo, claims the National Council on Sports approved the inclusion of only three deaf sports as compulsory events, which were not selected. The exclusion is seen as an imbalance, as deaf sports have been advocating for over a decade. The decision was reversed in April 2025, but without the federation's consent, leaving over 300 deaf athletes affected across Nigeria.",
  "summary": "Deaf sports stakeholders are set to protest in Lagos today against the exclusion of their events from the National Sports Festival, calling it discriminati Read More: https://punchng.com/nsf-exclusion-deaf-sports-stakeholders-set-for-protest-today/",
  "key_points": [
    "Deaf sports stakeholders protest exclusion from National Sports Festival in Lagos.",
    "Nigerian Deaf Football Association to protest in Abuja from Oct 19-22.",
    "Federation President claims only 3 deaf sports approved, not selected."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Excluding deaf athletes while including other para-sports creates a discriminatory hierarchy that undermines the long-standing advocacy efforts of disabled sports stakeholders across Nigeria.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "NSF exclusion: Deaf sports stakeholders set for protest today",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/nsf-exclusion-deaf-sports-stakeholders-set-for-protest-today-15536055",
        "published": "2026-10-19T01:23:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}