Sports
Nigeria Shines At Invictus Games, Makes Africa Proud
When Peacemaker Azuegbulam suffered life-changing injuries while serving Nigeria in combat, little did he know that three years later he would be wearing a gold medal around his neck.
He was part of Nigeria’s delegation at the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, the first time an African nation had participated.
The event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women was set up in 2014 by Prince Harry and this year hosted more than 500 competitors from 21 nations.
Invictus is a Latin word that translates as “undefeated” or “unconquerable” and is the name of a poem often recited by Nelson Mandela. Azuegbulam can now also see the power in its meaning.
“I feel so good. I feel great. I feel powerful because I’m the first one [African Invictus medalist]”, the single-leg amputee told Tidesports source.
For the 27-year-old, winning powerlifting gold in the 69kg category was a massive moment.
“I made my country proud. I made Africa proud. I made the Armed Forces of Nigeria proud.
“Everybody keeps on congratulating me for making them proud and for putting a smile on their faces.
“And for me to let the world know that there is an ability in disability. With my injury, I still made it.”
After all that has happened, Azuegbulam maintains he has no regrets about choosing to serve his country.
“I got my injury in a place called Maiduguri, fighting Boko Haram. That was my service to the country and I do what my country wants me to do as a soldier. It is my duty.”
Nigeria’s participation at Invictus 2023 was the brainchild of Derrick Cobbinah, a veteran of the British Army who acts as a voice for former British soldiers living in Ghana.
His efforts earned him recognition from Prince Harry, with a 10-strong team attending this year’s event.
“Two years ago, we started working on bringing in Nigeria as the first African country,” Cobbinah says.
“It hadn’t been easy because sports recovery is a new thing in Africa. Using the power of sports to help wounded and injured servicemen and women to recover has never been done.
“Nigeria was actually the first country that accepted to be part of the Invictus Games.”
Among those supporting the Nigerian team in Dusseldorf was the Duchess of Sussex, who recently explained how genealogy tests had revealed she is 43per cent Nigerian
The pair were regularly seen with Nigeria fans at the event which finished on Sunday, with Cobbinah also pictured with Meghan.
Having seen up close the impact of such star power, he says the next aim is to improve facilities for ex-service personnel across the continent.
“There have been a lot of challenges as the infrastructure we have in Africa is not very disability friendly.
“Also, Africa as a continent, and our military, do not have the infrastructure for these wounded servicemen and women.
“It has been about going around making sure that we have the right facilities in place to help them train to get here – that’s been one of the main challenges.
“The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff has been amazing, making sure we now have something in place to help these guys achieve their dream.”
Azuegbulam says the Invictus Games proved to be about much more than winning gold.
“It facilitated my recovery. It’s made me feel so nice that I stopped minding the injury I had.
“I conquered. It means a lot to me because I do things that I thought I can’t do again.
“It’s put a smile on my face. It’ll make me physically fit, mentally and spiritually fit.”
And he believes other African nations should now follow Nigeria’s lead and make their own bid for Invictus glory.
“Of course, because I’m able to represent my country, not only in powerlifting but many other games. So I would like to meet some other persons from around the country and from Africa.”
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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