STAKEHOLDERS RAISE HOPES FOR BOXING, RUGBY, AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN 2025

At a recent review summit of sports federations, key voices in Nigerian athletics and sports development forecast a promising future for several disciplines, particularly boxing, rugby, and women’s basketball.
According to David Amadi of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, the re-establishment of the National Sports Commission (NSC) has reinvigorated boxing’s development agenda. “We are entering a new era where talent discovery and training camps will receive dedicated funding and oversight,” Amadi said.
In basketball, former D’Tigers and D’Tigress captain Olumide Oyedeji praised the efforts of the women’s team, calling for expanded support structures to maintain Nigeria’s supremacy on the continent. He warned that lack of consistent investment could erode recent gains.
Meanwhile, Rugby Federation of Nigeria (RFN) President Ademola Are gave the sport a 6/10 score for current development efforts, noting steady grassroots growth and increased training participation. He called for more regional leagues to feed national team selection and enhance public interest.