LAGOS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) has decried the lack of sponsors for its programs, which has forced it to pull out of the forthcoming Africa U-19 Junior Championship in Zimbabwe.

The withdrawal had set them back in their bid to reposition the sport in the country, Secretary of the NSF Evelyn Fabunmi disclosed this to reporters on Tuesday in Lagos.

The Africa U-19 Junior Championship is slated to hold from April 5 to April 10 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Fabunmi regretted the cancellation of their trip to Harare which, she noted, would have afforded the NSF an opportunity to expose its players to the right kind of competition in Africa.

The secretary regretted the non-release of funds by the National Sports Commission (NSC), which she quoted as saying that its problem had to do with the government's failure to implement the 2012 budget.

The secretary said the NSF's efforts to get sponsors for its programs had not yielded the expected results.

However, Fabunmi said the lack of sponsors had not deterred the body from preparing for some local competitions.