The spot of games in the Nigerian sports building can’t be over underscored. In the course of recent years, Nigeria has recorded some point of interest accomplishments in different brandishing disciplines.
Football, Athletics, Boxing, Basketball, Tennis, Special Sports and so forth have served as effective picture making devices for the country and have additionally cultivated companionship amongst Nigeria and different nations. These games have similarly ended up being a wellspring of youth strengthening and improvement.
On Saturday, October 1, 2016, Nigeria records its 56th Independence and there have been extraordinary minutes that have conveyed delight and grandness to the most crowded dark country on the planet.
FOOTBALL:
Super Eagles:
Cometonigeria.com narrative the deeds recorded by Nigeria’s games stars at significant games occasions since Independence in 1960.
The Super Eagles as the Nigerian men’s national groups are called are three-times African champions.
The Eagles, erstwhile, the Green Eagles, won the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations title when the nation facilitated the competition. Nigeria likewise won the 1994 and 2013 AFCON titles. Altogether, the group has shown up at the AFCON 17 times, the first in 1963, three years after Nigeria’s freedom.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have shown up at the FIFA World Cup with their best result accompanying Round of 16 showings in 1994 (debut appearance for Nigeria), 1998 and 2014.
Brilliant Eagles (U17):
Nigeria has won the FIFA U17 World Cup a record four times accomplished in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013, all in Asian nations (China, Japan, Korea, and United Arab Emirates).
Flying Eagles (U20):
Nigeria is seven times African champions at the U20 division. The Flying Eagles won the African U20 Youth Championship in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015. Nigeria has shown up at the U20 World Cup and was runners up in 1989 and 2005. They were the third placed team in 1985.
U-23 Eagles:
Nigeria’s ‘Fantasy Team’ was the primary African team to win the men’s football tournament of the Olympics.
The U-23 national side won the gold medal in the 1996 Games held in Atlanta. They were finalists in 2008 when Beijing facilitated the Games.
Super Falcons:
Nigeria’s women’s football national team, the Super Falcons, have won the African Women’s Championship nine times out of the eleven events beforehand held. The Falcons won the Championship in 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The Falcons appeared at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the first event and Nigeria’s debut in 1991. Nigeria’s best trip was a quarter-final complete in 1999.
U-17 and U-20:
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s side, the Falconets, are two-time runners-up of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010 (Germany) and 2014 (Canada). The U-17 side, the Flamingoes, fit the bill for the inaugural release of the U-17 Women’s World Cup facilitated by New Zealand in 2008. They have taken an interest at the U-17 Women’s World Cup four times. The group achieved the quarter-finals stage somewhere around 2010 and 2014.
Beach Soccer:
Nigeria has won the Africa Beach Soccer Championship twice. The Sand Eagles won the competition in 2007 and 2009. They were runners-up in 2006 and 2011. The team was bronze champs in 2015 and came fourth in 2013.
Nigeria in African Football:
Nigerian clubs can’t be said to have recreated the execution of the diverse national groups on the landmass.
Falling stars Sports Club of Ibadan (3SC) pioneered the trail by winning the now refreshed African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976 cordiality of a 4-2 total win against Cameroonian side, Tonnerre Yahounde.
After sixteen years the club won the inaugural version of the CAF Cup, crushing Uganda’s Villa SC 2-0 on the total. Enugu Rangers repeated the deed a year later, recording a 5-2 total win against Cameroon’s Canon Yaounde.
It took Nigeria 38 years to win the CAF Champions League with Enyimba raising the trophy in 2003 and 2004. As of now clubs have attempted to urge the mainland.
ATHLETICS:
Nigeria’s execution in sports in the previous five decades has not been amazing but rather their predominance on the African landmass has been perfect thinking of her as accomplishments at the All Africa Games and different rivalries.
Since showing up at the Olympics in 1952, Nigeria brags only one gold award in Olympic-style sports occasions which are a disillusioning return considering what the nation’s potential can offer if legitimate structures and foundation are set up for competitors to create.
At the IAAF World Championships, Nigeria has additionally not won gold but rather demonstrated the world a look at its potential on the tracks in the 1998/99 season.
In 1998, Nigeria had two competitors Gloria Alozie (in the 100m obstacles) and Falilat Ogunkoya (in the 400m) command their separate occasions however for evident reasons they couldn’t manage the rhythm.
While in 1999, the twosome of Charity Opara and Ogunkoya were positioned first and second in the 400m, however, due shortcomings in arranging and projects for young people the nation has neglected to supplant its maturing stars.
On the African landmass at the lesser levels, the nations unforeseen to the twelfth edition of the Africa Junior Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, completed tops in the four-day occasion.
The Nigerian group drove by Ese Brume and Divine Oduduru, completed top of the awards table with 12 gold, eight silver and seven bronze decorations.
TABLE TENNIS:
Table Tennis has put Nigeria in front of different nations in Africa since Independence in 1960 with a progression of the country’s ping pongers both men and ladies ruling the games on the landmass despite the fact that they made little progress at the worldwide level.
The likes of Atanda Musa, Segun Toriola, Sule Olaleye, Kazeem Nosiru, Monday Merountoun and as of late Aruna Quadri in the men’s class have won real shrubs for the nation. Toriola has positioned the main player in Africa from 1998 to 2008.
A year ago, Quadri was named the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) star player of the year. He was likewise voted the Best Male player in front of the world number one, China’s Xu Xin.
In the Ladies classification, the trio of Bose Kaffo, Biola Odumosu, and Funke Oshonaike have copied the deeds of their men’s partner. The trio won different decorations at the African Championships, All Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games.
BASKETBALL:
Nigeria’s senior men’s national ball group, D’Tigers, are thought to be one of the best national b-ball groups in the FIBA Africa zone, alongside Angola and Senegal.
Right now positioned 24th in the FIBA World Rankings, D’Tigers have appreciated accomplishment, because of an expanding measure of gifts from Nigeria and additionally an arranged enlistment of American school and expert players of Nigerian plummet.
Among a portion of the significant accomplishments, the group has recorded incorporate the catch of their first-ever FIBA Africa Championship in Tunisia this year. Furthermore, what made the win significantly sweeter is the way that they did it against an old adversary, Angola.
After four straight third-put completes (1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007), D’Tigers, at last, got their hands on the gold award at 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
Besides winning mainland titles, D’Tigers has partaken in universal competitions. The group appeared at the 1998 FIBA World Cup in Greece where they completed thirteenth. They showed up at the FIBA World Cup in the 2006 release in Japan and came third in a gathering that had Argentina, France, Lebanon, Serbia and Montenegro and Venezuela. They, in the end, lost barely in the second round to Germany.
In 2012, D’Tigers turned into the principal African country to ever meet all requirements for the mid-year Olympics through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. They beat top groups like Lithuania and Greece to qualify.
What’s more, at the 2012 Olympics, the group won their first amusement against Tunisia before losing to the United States, France, and Argentina. They will be one year from now’s Olympic Games in Rio taking after their triumph at the FIBA Africa Championship.
The ladies’ group has likewise contributed their own amount to the achievement of Nigerian ball. They won the gold medals at 2003 All Africa Games held in Abuja furthermore made their presentation at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
BOXING:
Boxing is one game that has conveyed popularity to Nigeria. The game began the medals scramble for Nigeria at global occasions like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth and All Africa Games.
At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Nigeria won its first since forever decoration on account of Nojeem Maiyegun who won bronze. In Munich 1972, Isaac Ikhuoria rehashed the deed by winning another bronze and Nigeria’s lone decoration. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics saw Nigeria win its first since forever silver decoration and it came through Peter Konyegwachi.
At that point in 1992, in Barcelona, the team of David Izonritei and Richard Igbineghu returned with silver awards for Nigeria, while at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, Duncan Dokiwari won Nigeria’s last decoration in boxing till date when he won bronze.
Beside the Olympic Games, Nigerian boxers have done astoundingly well in the Commonwealth Games. As of now, Nigeria has won a sum of 13 gold, six silver, and 17 bronze awards, to place seventh in the unsurpassed Commonwealth boxing decoration table.
At the All Africa Games, Nigeria is one of the best nations in boxing, taking after its general award haul of 18 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze medals.
In expert boxing, Nigeria has delivered title holders like Dick Tiger, Hogan Bassey, and Samuel Peter. Among Tiger’s accomplishments was winning the world middleweight boxing title and the light-heavyweight big showdown. Bassey got his hands on the Empire featherweight title, while Peter turned into the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion in 2008.
In a rundown, the All Africa Games, the Olympics, and the Paralympics have ended up being asylums for Nigerian games stars to win trees for their nation.
Nigeria has contended at all the eleven releases of the All Africa Games between 1965 and 2015. Its competitors have won a sum of 934 awards.
Nigeria initially took part in the Olympic Games in 1952 and has been personified to in each Summer Olympic Games from that point forward, with the exception of the boycotted 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Altogether, Nigeria has partaken 16 times at the Olympics (1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016).
THE VERDICT:
Nigeria has primarily awed at significant games occasions yet the topic of good organization and structures for the advancement of gifts still endures. The nation has lost some better than average gifts to different nations because of the absence of confidence appeared by some of these Nigerian-conceived sports stars.
Besides winning trophies and awards, consideration ought to likewise be given to the grassroots improvements of the diversion while the administration gives the empowering environment and offices for the stars to bloom.
The welfare of Nigerian games stars ought to likewise be of central enthusiasm to the chairmen and government.
As the nations praise its 56th commemoration, there are surely trusts and desires that when the 60th autonomy comes around in four years time, there would have been all the more donning accomplishments recorded by the nation’s games legends.
