The seventh edition of the Squash in Diaspora U-11, U-13 and U-17 Boys and Girls Tournament commenced in Abuja on Wednesday, with Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) Vice President and tournament sponsor, Comptroller Haniel Haddison Haruna, commending the Federal Government for providing sporting infrastructure while calling for stronger investment in grassroots squash development.
The tournament, being held at the Squash Courts, Package B, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, has attracted close to 100 young players across the various age categories.
The 2026 edition is significant as it marks the first time the annual tournament is being staged in Abuja, after six previous editions were held predominantly in Lagos and other parts of the South-West.
Haruna, who is Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, described the competition as an important platform for exposing young Nigerians to competitive squash and discovering future national stars.
He said the tournament was sustained by former Nigerian international players who developed their careers at home, pursued opportunities abroad, retired and subsequently decided to give back to the sport.
“This is the seventh edition of the Expo. It has been a wonderful session, and this is a platform given to the younger ones, the next generation. This event is actually adding great value to the grassroots development of the Squash Federation,” Haruna said.
The NSF vice president said directing greater attention towards grassroots development remained one of the federation’s major priorities, particularly against the backdrop of limited national competitions for young players.
“One of our focal points as a board of the Squash Federation is to direct our attention towards the grassroots so that we can bridge the gap. Over time, we’ve been lacking national tournaments. This particular tournament has been in existence for upwards of six years. This is the seventh edition,” he said.
According to Haruna, the competition has consistently provided opportunities for identifying promising youngsters and exposing them to competitive environments at an early age.
He said the quality of some of the matches in Abuja had already demonstrated the potential within the next generation of Nigerian squash players.
“The few matches played, you could see some serious-minded kids exhibiting a high level of performance,” he added.
Haruna commended the Federal Government for creating an enabling environment for sports development through the provision of sporting infrastructure across the country.
He specifically highlighted the facilities at the Moshood Kashimawo Abiola National Stadium, describing the squash courts as an important asset that should be fully utilised.
He, however, noted that the government could not be expected to organise sporting tournaments throughout the year, stressing the importance of private-sector and stakeholder support.
The NSF vice president said continued investment from former athletes, sponsors and other stakeholders would complement government efforts and provide young athletes with more opportunities to compete.
Haruna also stressed that sporting development must not come at the expense of education, urging the young participants to strike a balance between their academic and sporting commitments.
“We need to encourage them that there is a need for them to concentrate on their books and then create time for squash. Doing that will help them grow well and help us nurture them by allowing them not to disconnect from their classrooms,” he said.
“Classroom is the primary while squash is the secondary.”
The tournament’s relocation from the South-West to Abuja, Haruna said, represents an important step towards taking squash development to other parts of Nigeria.
“This is the first time we’re experiencing it in the North, particularly here in the Federal Capital, Abuja. For the past six years, it has been in the South-West, particularly Lagos,” he said.
He commended the organisers for expanding the tournament geographically, saying the sizable participation in Abuja demonstrated the potential for squash to grow outside its traditional centres.
“You can see the turnout — very massive, close to 100 kids from different categories. So it’s a good thing for us, and we’re thankful to the Expo for having the thought to ensure that the thing is spread across the region.”
Haruna also explained that the organisers deliberately avoided cash prizes for the young participants, preferring sporting equipment and other incentives.
“Cash prizes are usually for senior players. These are kids, so we don’t want to expose them to cash prizes at this age,” he said.
Participants are instead expected to receive items such as squash kits and canvas shoes.
Chairman of Squash in Diaspora and former Nigerian national number-one player, Friday Odeh, said the initiative was created primarily to give back to the sport and make squash more accessible to young Nigerians, particularly children from less privileged backgrounds.
“This event is what we’ve been doing every year for the past seven years. It’s trying to give back to all the kids. We developed Squash in Nigeria to help less privileged people get into squash and make it affordable,” Odeh said.
He expressed satisfaction with the growth of the tournament, saying several top Nigerian players had emerged from the programme.
“For the past seven years, we’ve seen the progression. We’ve seen the improvement and also the maturity of the event itself. A lot of the top players right now came out of our programme,” he said.
Odeh said the broader ambition was to take squash to every part of Nigeria, citing Kano as an example of a state that had been absent from major squash competitions for many years.
“We want to bring every state in the country to play squash. Kids in every state should know what the game is all about. We just want to develop squash in every nook and cranny of Nigeria,” he said.
Odeh said the introduction of the Under-11 category was deliberate, as the organisers wanted to begin talent identification at primary-school level.
“That’s why we put the Under-11 category, where you get the little ones to come in. Not just for the senior kids, we want the little ones to come in from primary school,” he said.
He explained that exposing children to the sport early would give them more experience and help them become better players by the time they reach their teenage years.
The tournament is being conducted as a singles competition with an open draw, while state-by-state competitions remain within the remit of the Nigeria Squash Federation.
“Our own goal is to develop the interest of squash in Nigeria and let kids get to know what the game is all about,” Odeh said.
Odeh reinforced the importance of education, insisting that academic development must remain the first priority for young athletes.
“Education first before squash. There’s no education, there’s no squash. If you don’t go to school, what are you going to fall back on if squash doesn’t work for you?” he asked.
He said he applied the same principle during his own playing career by combining education with squash.
“I combined squash and school. My school came first, then my squash, and that’s what we instill in every kid to think about,” he said.
Odeh also disclosed that coaches are encouraged to monitor the academic progress of young players and check their school results, stressing that training should never come at the expense of education.
A Board of Trustees member of Squash in Diaspora and the Nigeria Squash Federation, Lanre Taiwo, said the decision to move the competition around the country was deliberate.
Taiwo, who has been involved in several squash development initiatives, including Under-19 boys’ and girls’ programmes in Lagos and Abeokuta, said the organisers wanted to ensure that the tournament did not remain a South-West affair.
“We’ve been taking it here and there. It won’t be South-West affairs only. That’s why you see us in Abuja,” Taiwo said.
He disclosed that the organisers were already considering another location for next year’s edition.
Taiwo described the competition as an annual event, with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 causing a major interruption to its schedule.
He also acknowledged the contribution of Nigerians in the diaspora to the development initiative, including former players such as Odeh and Kunle Adebe.
Taiwo expressed optimism over the improving standard of Nigerian squash, particularly among junior players.
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He pointed to Nigeria’s participation at the 2026 World Championship in Canada, saying the performances of Nigerian players had attracted recognition and reflected the progress being made in the sport.
“If you go back to the website of the 2026 World Championship in Canada and see how our people performed, you’ll understand,” he said.
Taiwo noted that Nigeria had gone several decades without taking junior players to some major international competitions, making recent participation an important development.
He expressed confidence that Nigeria was increasingly positioning itself among Africa’s leading squash nations.
“We are coming up. In fact, apart from the Egyptian players, Nigeria is next,” he said.
With the seventh edition now underway in Abuja, organisers say the long-term objective is to establish a sustainable development pathway that takes young players from primary-school participation through junior competition and eventually to the national and international levels.
The U-11, U-13 and U-17 boys’ and girls’ categories are therefore expected to serve not only as competitive platforms but also as important talent-identification stages for the next generation of Nigerian squash players.
