Athletics
Nigeria at Tokyo 2020 Olympics: The shift from competitors to Olympic medal contenders
Tokyo 2020 could herald the start of a new reign for Africans across multiple sports outside their usual medal-winning events like athletics, and football and swimming.
Nigeria recently became the first African nation to beat 15-time Olympic basketball champions USA. Sprint queen Blessing Okagbare is ready to step up at the Tokyo Olympics.
Here are the Nigeria teams and athletes most likely to become Olympics and continental stars:
Nigeria basketball
Two major wins in three days in pre-Olympic warmups has made the African champions Nigeria among the favourites for a medal in their third Games.
The D’Tigers, loaded with their American-born players featuring in the NBA, shocked the U.S. with a historic 90-87 victory in Las Vegas before beating world number four Argentina, 94-71.
The Americans have bagged basketball medals in all 18 of their Olympic appearances since the sport made its debut in Berlin 1936.
The recent results are a huge shift for the team that has never moved past their group phase.
Nigeria lost by a record score of 156-73 to the eventual winners, the U.S. at their debut Olympics at London 2012.
At the same Games, Nigeria managed one win against Tunisia, while their only victory at Rio 2016, was against Croatia.
There’s renewed confidence in the team coached by Mike Brown who is part of the coaching staff at the Golden State Warriors, that they could emulate the success of their football team at Atlanta 1996.
Nigeria and Cameroon (Sydney 2000) are the only two African teams to have won Olympic gold in the football tournament.
Brown told Olympics.com of his plan “to go there to try and win.”
“We are not going there just for the experience; the experience is going to be nice. But we want to go win. We have the mindset that we are going to Tokyo to win,” Brown said.
“We are looking forward to showing not just the people of Nigeria but people on the continent, African people around the world that there is a lot of Nigerian talent out there.”
Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Josh Okogie who was part of the Nigerian team that beat the U.S. says a medal in Tokyo would be a huge achievement.
“A medal? It would mean the world to me. Our whole focus is just on trying to win this medal. We know the potential we have.”
Nigeria is drawn in Group B alongside Australia Italy and Germany.
Nigeria’s women’s team will also feature in Tokyo and are equally thrilling to watch.
It’s a star-studded team, boasting foreign-based players, returning to the Olympics after their debut in Athens.
Nigerian wrestlers and table tennis players
Staying with Africa’s most populous nation, Nigerians’ interest will also be on their wrestling and table tennis stars.
After their Rio 2016 experience, the wrestling pair of Blessing Oborududu and Odunayo Adekuoroye are hoping their Olympic dreams can come true.
The Commonwealth Games champions are unrivalled in Africa and believe that this is their best chance to grapple for Olympic medals.
Nigerian star Blessing Oborududu embarks on mission possible
After Commonwealth gold and 10 African titles, the 30-year-old wants to leave a mark at Tokyo 2020.
Adekuoroye, who reached the quarter-finals in Rio, told Olympics.com that she is “one of the top competitors to watch out for.”
“I find myself often thinking about how the gold medal will be represented to me… my dream is finally coming true.
“I can’t wait to experience that moment and make history as the first African woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling.”
And over at the Tokyo Metropolitan venue, Africa’s number one table tennis star Quadri Aruna who upset the form book by reaching the quarterfinals in Brazil is looking to “pull a surprise in Tokyo”.
Athletics
Record 6000 runners register for 2nd Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run
A record 6,000 runners, local and international from across the African continent and Nigeria have registered for the second edition of the Lotus Bank Abeokuta 10km Run slated for September 28, 2024, as the organisers, Nilayo Sports Management Limited guns for a bronze label status for the race.
The Chief Operating Officer of Nilayo Sports Management Limited, Ebidowie Oweifie, noted that the theme of this year’s edition of the Abeokuta 10km Race titled ‘For Greatness’ out is out to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Egba paramount ruler, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo 111, the 10km Run will flag off at Iyana Oloke at 6am and finish at The Alake Palace, Abeokuta.
Kenya’s Peter Nwaniki is the men’s race defending champion at a time of 28 minutes 14 seconds, while Shamila Kipsirir also of Kenya is the women’s defending champion.
Nigeria’s race men’s defending champion is Francis James at 31minutes 08seconds, while the women’s defending champion is Patience Daylop at 36 minutes 31 seconds.
The second edition of Abeokuta10km Race will be sponsored by Lotus Bank, FEBBS Premium Water, Fatgbems Petroleum Limited and Cash Token.
Athletics
Behold, CAS statement on Tobi Amusan
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is the winner as the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the appeals filed by World Athletics and WADA.
The decision confirms the decision taken by the World Athletics disciplinary tribunal finding that Tobi Amusan did not commit any anti-doping rule violation.
Here is the full statement of CAS.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by
World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria).
Accordingly, the Challenged Decision in which the WADT considered that Tobi Amusan did not violate Rule 2.4 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR) and that no period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Athlete is confirmed.
The Athlete was initially charged with committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Rule 2.4 WA ADR following three alleged Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.
In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the Athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month
period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the Athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.
The reasoned award will be published by CAS unless the parties request confidentiality.
Athletics
Tobi Amusan floors WADA and World Athletics!
Nigeria’s Paris 2024 medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan has been cleared as the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the World Athletics.
She is therefore cleared to feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Amusan is the 100m hurdles world record holder.
The athlete was charged in July last year with missing three anti-doping tests in 12 months but was cleared of the offence by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
The Integrity Unit of the World Athletics appealed the clearance which has now been dismissed by CAS, the final arbiter in the case.
CAS in its statement remarked that its panel “unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within 12 months.”
Amusan set the world record of 12.12 seconds in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July 2022 and went on to win the title.
She finished sixth in the world championships in Budapest last year.
World Athletics’ anti-doping rules say any athlete failing to declare their whereabouts for a doping test on three occasions over 12 months is ineligible to compete for two years.
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