Nigeria’s Super Falcons will next week play against South Africa in the first leg of the last qualifying series for the women’s football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics. An eventual qualification will mean a return to the Olympic Games after a 16-year absence.

It sounds awkward considering the fact that they had had a run of three consecutive participations in 2000, 2004 and 2008 and had been nine-time African champions.

Inexplicably, a team that has been ever present at the Women’s World Cup since the 1991 inaugural edition has found qualification for the Olympics difficult like a Greek puzzle.

If there is a Nigerian player for whom the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are of very particular importance, it is Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Since 2020, the Nigerian goalkeeper has lived in Paris- the famed City of Lights for four years, where she dons the colours of Paris FC.

Having fallen in love with this city, “Maka” as her fans affectionately call her, wants to participate in the Olympic celebration which will take place in her “second home”.

The Olympic Games in France is a beautiful wink of destiny for the shot-stopper who burst onto the international scene on June 17, 2019. It was on that day, that the Super Falcons travelled to Rennes, in the west of France where she made her debut thanks to coach Thomas Dennerby.

The Olu native held her own against the Bleues before the unfortunate 79th minute penalty she conceded. The Nigerians lost by the narrowest of margins, however Nnadozie laid the perfect foundation for a stellar career.

Nnadozie arrived in Paris in February 2020 and hardly had time to settle in as she hit the ground running.

“She is one of the best goalkeepers of her generation” said Sandrine Soubeyrand, her coach at Paris FC.

Nnadozie was nominated twice in the category of best goalkeeper of the UNFP (editor’s note: prize rewarding players playing in the French championship).

Few years later, Nigerian goalkeeper to be awarded best women’s goalkeeper at the CAF Awards.

Buoyed by this award and her performance at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, where she led Nigeria to the round of 16 with the captain’s armband, Nnadozie is eager to lead her side to the Olympics.

To do this, Nnadozie and Nigeria will have to overcome reigning African champions South Africa over a two-legged fixture on 05 and 09 April.

“I read so many things about the Olympics. We didn’t manage to qualify in 2020, I felt bad at first, then I said to myself ‘Come on, you have time ahead of you’ and that’s it another great opportunity to qualify. I want to know what it feels like to participate in the Olympic Games” says Nnadozie.

Nigeria’s last Olympics participation dates back to 2008 where the Super Falcons shot stopper was Toby Oluechi.

“I like how she talks to us about it, the advice she gives us and how much she insists telling us that it is important to qualify for the Games. It’s a great tournament, according to her. Through all her stories, I want to qualify even more”, she concludes.

-CAF