The Nigerian Sports Ministry has announced a strong list of 87 athletes that will fly the country’s flag at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The games, which are scheduled to hold from July 26th to August 11th, will see Team Nigeria vie for medals alongside athletes from 193 countries across the globe.
The list comprises of 36 athletes – 18 men and 18 women partaking in athletics events; 18 Super Falcons players for the women’s football event, and 12 D’Tigress players in the women’s basketball.
Medal hopefuls, Blessing Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye are amongst the six wrestlers listed while Rafiatu Lawal and Joy Ogbonne Eze make up the two weightlifters on the list.
There are four table tennis stars headlined by Aruna Quadri while there are just three Boxers: Dolapo Omole (men’s featherweight), Olaitan Olaore (men’s heavyweight), and Cynthia Ogunsemilore (women’s lightweight).
Canoeing will see two female representatives in Ayomide Bello and Beauty Otudeo while Tobi Sijuade will eye a podium finish as he competes in the men’s 50m freestyle swimming event.
The list is completed by Ese Ukpeseraye who will represent in cycling.
The Sports Ministry also announced that the country will be participating in just four sports events at the Paralympic Games billed for August 28th to September 8th also in Paris.
Although the sports events were not named, it is believed that para-powerlifting, a sport Nigerian athletes have excelled in in the past, para-athletics and para-table tennis are among the selected four events.
So far, Nigerian Paralympic athletes have won a total of 80 medals in the history of the games: 40 gold medals, 19 silver medals, and 21 bronze medals.
