Sports
Para-Athlete Flays 2012 Paralympic Games Preparations
A para-athlete, Femi Alabi, has criticised Nigeria’s preparations for the London 2012 Paralympic Games scheduled for August 29 to September 9.
Alabi, a gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, told newsmen that no adequate preparation had been made for the 2012 edition.
“We’re not preparing as well as we should, because by now we are supposed to be in a camp where we have no distractions and be training intensively.
“We are only training on our own now to remain fit, instead of being on training tours to aid our performance,” the table tennis champion said.
The Paralympian explained that the major challenges being faced by Nigerian para-athletes were funding, lack of equipment and training facilities.
He claimed that no funds had yet been received by the national federations from the National Sports Commission (NSC) to provide necessary logistics for the camping of para-athletes.
“Para-athletes have been training on their own because they want to make a name for themselves.
“We para-athletes should have special training facilities that will cater for our different indoor sports so as to eliminate the constant disturbance from the able-bodied athletes.
“The sharing of training facilities with able-bodied athletes has been a challenge and has reduced the pace of training,” Alabi said.
Alabi won two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic qualifiers in Egypt and four gold medals at the 2011 All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
In a statement released by the league, the competition is scheduled to take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 14, 2026, with six clubs set to battle for the league title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, said the choice of Port Harcourt reflects the Rivers State Government’s continued support for women’s football and its successful hosting of the league’s Annual General Assembly last year.
The Super Six tournament will feature the top three teams from Group A and Group B of the regular season competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing five matches over nine days.
Qualified teams for the competition include defending champions Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Robo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, and debutants Abia Angels.
The NWFL Premiership has produced four different winners in the last five editions, with Rivers Angels winning in 2021, Bayelsa Queens claiming the title in 2022 and 2025, Delta Queens triumphing in 2023, and Edo Queens emerging champions in 2024.
The league also urged participating clubs to comply with all competition regulations and directives ahead of the championship. The Super Six will determine Nigeria’s representative for the WAFU-B qualifiers for a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League and ultimately the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Teams are expected to arrive on Friday, June 5, when the draw ceremony and pre-match meeting will also take place. Matchdays are scheduled for June 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, with rest days in between before the tournament concludes with the trophy presentation ceremony.
