Age falsification in Nigerian sports is formally now a criminal offence punishable by institutionalised sanctions.
This decision was reached at the 2nd National Council on Sports in Calabar where the National Sports Commission NSC obtained approval to implement the resolution with immediate effect.
The newly approved sanctions apply to athletes, coaches, team officials, officiating personnel, state delegations and administrators involved in any form of age fraud.
Offending athletes will face immediate disqualification, loss of medals, withdrawn records and suspensions ranging from one to two years for a first offense, and longer or permanent bans for repeat violations.
Coaches and officials involved in falsification risk licence suspensions of up to three years, removal from all duties and permanent disqualification in severe cases.
Entire teams and state delegations may be disqualified, stripped of results and fined to cover administrative and investigation costs.
These policies take effect immediately across all national age-grade competitions and will inform Nigeria’s participation in continental and international events going forward.
To strengthen enforcement, the NSC will deploy enhanced verification technologies, including biometric screening, digital birth-record cross-checks and mandatory documentation audits before major competitions.
The NSC expects the reforms to boost youth performance, improve talent discovery pathways, restore public trust and elevate the integrity of sports administration nationwide.
In the words of NSC’s Deputy Director Hon Bukola Olopade, “Age cheating steals dreams, destroys careers and tarnishes our flag. These new sanctions send a clear message: If you manipulate, falsify or misrepresent ages in Nigerian sport, you will face the full weight of the law.”
Reporting By Kelechi Bernard