The Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC), with support from Olympic Solidarity, will hold a four-day Sports Medicine Seminar for Female Medics in Benin City, Edo State, aimed at enhancing knowledge and capacity in female athlete health and sports medicine.
The seminar, themed “Fueling the Female Champion: Understanding the Female Athlete Triad and RED-S in the Adolescent Athlete,” is scheduled to hold from June 21 to 24, 2026, at the Media Centre of Binos Hotel and Suites, Benin City.
According to a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the NOC, Mr. Tony Nezianya, the programme will bring together female medical professionals from Nigeria’s South-South and South-East regions to deepen their understanding of critical health issues affecting female athletes, particularly adolescents.
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Expected to declare the event open during the opening ceremony will be President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee, Engr. Habu Gumel, who has already described the seminar as a landmark initiative and the first programme of its kind to be organized by the NOC specifically for female medical practitioners.
He noted that the seminar underscores the Committee’s commitment to athlete welfare and the advancement of sports medicine in Nigeria, while providing participants with the knowledge and practical tools required to address emerging health challenges confronting female athletes.
Gumel has also expressed appreciation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through Olympic Solidarity for supporting the initiative, describing the partnership as a demonstration of the Olympic Movement’s commitment to athlete well-being, sports medicine education and the empowerment of women in sport.
He has further explained that the South-South and South-East regions were deliberately selected for the pilot programme to ensure broader geographical inclusion and participation, adding that similar capacity-building initiatives would be extended to other regions of the country in the future.
The seminar will focus on increasing awareness and understanding of the Female Athlete Triad and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), two conditions that significantly impact the health, nutrition, growth, development and performance of adolescent female athletes.
Experts at the seminar are expected to provide participants with up-to-date medical and scientific insights into the prevention, identification and management of these conditions, thereby equipping them to offer improved healthcare support within their respective sporting environments and communities.
Participants have been encouraged to actively engage in the sessions, share experiences and leverage the opportunity to strengthen their professional competencies in sports medicine and athlete care.
The initiative forms part of the Nigerian Olympic Committee’s broader strategy to promote athlete health, strengthen medical support systems and advance capacity development through education, collaboration and evidence-based sports medicine programmes.
By focusing on the unique health needs of female athletes, the NOC hopes to contribute to the creation of safer, healthier and more supportive sporting environments that enable young athletes to achieve their full potential both on and off the field.
The seminar will further reinforce the Committee’s commitment to aligning Nigeria’s sports development programmes with international best practices in athlete welfare and medical care.
