HFN Postpones National Open Championships

The Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) has postponed its National Open Championships scheduled for this month in Abuja, citing preparations for the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos as reason.

HFN President, Yusuf Dauda told newsmen in Lagos that the postponement would enable them to finalise preparations.

“We considered the fact that the festival is fast approaching and the states at this stage are at the peak of their preparations, so, we don’t want to distract them.

“Some states may have gone for closed camping which will affect the turnout for the championships and as a result we want to give them that preference,” he said.

Dauda urged players and states to be committed as they fine tune their training for the festival holding from November 27 to December 9.

“Their level of commitment during their training period will speak volume at the festival, so they should maximise the remaining time and put in their best,” he said.

He noted that the objective of bringing the sport to an enviable standard in the country and beyond was based on identifying talents at the grassroots.

“Our focus on development of the sport at the grassroots has not changed, so the festival will also assist us to identify more talents who will help us to achieve our objective,” he said.

The HFN boss said athletes who proved their worth during the festival would be considered for follow-up programmes.