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.”
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.