Thursday, July 16, 2026

Nigeria to host 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships

He appealed for more support from both the public and private sectors for the sport.

• March 30, 2025

The Commonwealth Fencing Federation (CFF) has formally awarded the hosting right for the 2026 Commonwealth Fencing Championships to the Nigeria Fencing Federation (NFF) ahead of Australia.

The award followed the provisional hosting right granted to Nigeria a few months ago making her the first sub-Saharan nation to stage the tournament.

This is contained in a letter signed and issued on Sunday by CFF president, Marie-France Dufour, and addressed to all member nations.

It was resolved by a majority decision of the Board to award the hosting right to Nigeria after reviewing the technical committee’s report.

“As most of you are no doubt aware, the CFF received bids from two prospective hosts for the upcoming 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran Championships.

“After some discussions, it was resolved, by a majority decision of the Board, to provisionally award the event to the Nigerian Fencing Federation, subject to their addressing certain shortcomings identified in their original bid.

“This additional information was submitted to the CFF Technical Committee and reviewed at their meeting on March 19.

“The committee delivered its recommendations to the Board, which was discussed at the CFF Board meeting of March 27.

“After, it was agreed, by majority decision of the Board, to formally award the 2026 CFF Senior-Veteran Championships to the Nigerian Fencing Federation,” the letter reads.

The CFF president congratulated the NFF for being named host of the championship and wished them success in all their endeavours.

An elated president of the Nigeria Fencing Federation, Adeyinka Samuel, described the trust reposed in Nigeria as a major boost to the fortunes of fencing in the country.

He appealed for more support from both the public and private sectors for the sport.

“We made a bid for the hosting rights alongside Australia, and nobody ever gave us a chance to win.

“But after observing us host the Fencing World Cup in 2024, the CFF was convinced that we are ready to host any world-class tournament.

“I must acknowledge that this would not have been possible without the support of well-meaning individuals, Charter House Lagos and my board members.

“With what we have achieved in the last year, the world is now looking towards Nigeria as a nation with the potential to produce champions and host top-class events,” he said.

Mr Samuel said that the federation was humbled by the honour to host the prestigious tournament, and would start working towards hosting a befitting tournament.

“We intend to use this year’s African Senior Championships and the World Cup as tests for the Commonwealth Championships in 2026,” he said.

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

SpaceX, Elon Musk

Economy

SpaceX shares slide below IPO price for first time

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s shares stumbled below their initial public offering (IPO) price for the first time on Wednesday, just over a month after the company went public.

U.S. President Donald Trump lying in an open black coffin

Hot news Home top

Iran puts Trump in coffin on giant billboard

An inscription splashed across the coffin says, “We Will Kill Trump,” in both Persian and English. Another message on the billboard says, “In memory of Minab’s children.”

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola

Economy

Africa risks losing $300 billion blue economy potential, BRACED chair warns

BRACED boss noted that Africa’s blue economy has an estimated annual value of more than $300 billion if properly harnessed.

Sport

Argentina v Spain: Will Messi ‘bathe’ Yamal in 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday?

In 2007, Messi, 20, Barcelona’s budding star, was paired with five-month-old Yamal in a charity calendar photo shoot put together by Barcelona’s foundation.

Idris Bugaje

Education

Lack of practice, mentorship hampering engineering sector’s progress: NBTE

NBTE boss noted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway were designed offshore.

West African Religious Affairs Symposium (WARAS) in Accra, Ghana

Africa

Religion central to West Africa’s stability, military readiness: USAFRICOM

The command chaplain of the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), Kevin Forrester, has described spiritual readiness as a foundational pillar of military success.