Elite para-athletes gear up for 3×3 Wheelchair Tournament

The city of Abeokuta will come alive when the highly-anticipated BetKing 3×3 wheelchair basketball tournament begins from April 3 to 7, 2025.

The entire Ijeja neighborhood in Abeokuta is already anticipating the dunking off of the tournament and also gearing up to welcome top sports dignitaries and athletes from across the country.

Among the top administrators expected at the tournament include the chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, NSC’s Director General, Bukola Olopade and the president of the Nigeria Para-Olympic Committee, Sunday Oyebode.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Elite Athletes and Podium Board, Yusuf Ali, is also expected to grace the championship.

The President of the Nigeria Wheelchair Basketball Federation, Seyi Johnson, emphasised the core essence of the tournament, saying that it is primarily to discover new talents and select players for the national team.

“As a board, we are very intentional about having a sustainable pool of talents so that at every time the county will not lack athletes for international competitions.

“Para-sports have always been Nigeria’s area of strength at major international competitions and there is a need to maintain that momentum with regular competitions of this nature.

“Qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is our priority as a board and we know we have a very good chance when we go for the qualifiers in South Africa later this year,” he said.