Sports
DEFENDING champions, Team Lagos, secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Team Kaduna in the men’s para-volleyball event at the 3rd National Para Games in Abuja.
Lagos won 25–17, 25–10, 21–25, 13–25, 15–6 to record their first Group B win at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Indoor Sports Hall.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the round-robin competition began on Wednesday and will run through Friday.
Playing their second match of the day, Lagos started strongly, taking the first set 25–17 after brief resistance from Kaduna.
They dominated the second set, racing ahead to close it out comfortably at 25–10.
Kaduna responded with renewed determination, overturning Lagos’ rhythm to claim the third set 25–21.
Momentum swung further in Kaduna’s favour in the fourth set, as they surged ahead early to win 25–13, forcing a decisive fifth set.
In the tie-breaker, Lagos regained composure, opening a 4–0 lead and extending it to 13–5 before sealing victory at 15–6.
Earlier, Lagos had suffered a 0–3 defeat to Team Rivers in their opening match.
Lagos captain, Oluwaseyi Oderinde, described the contest as highly competitive and expressed confidence in the team’s prospects.
“This is our third appearance at the Games, and we won gold in the last edition.
“The sport is developing every day, and while no team remains champion forever, we are determined to win medals again,” he said.
Meanwhile, NAN reports that the women’s team would begin their campaign on Thursday.
In other matches, Team FCT defeated Team Bayelsa 3–2, while Team Bauchi earlier lost 0–3 to Bayelsa.
Thursday’s fixtures will see Rivers face Kaduna in Group B, while hosts FCT take on Bauchi in Group A.
Group A comprises FCT, Bauchi and Bayelsa, while Group B features Lagos, Kaduna and Rivers.
Six states—Rivers, Lagos, FCT, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Kaduna—are competing, with Kaduna and Bauchi fielding only men’s teams.
The games, which began on March 26, will end on Friday, featuring 15 para-sports at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. (NAN)
A.I
April 2, 2026
Tags: Team Lagos