Nigeria will compete in eight sports with 21 athletes at the forthcoming Youth Olympics, despite concerns that the selected events do not favour the country’s competitive strengths.
Bukola Olopade, Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), said Nigeria accepted the invitation because the competition would be held in Africa for the first time.
Olopade, who spoke with journalists ahead of the competition, said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected the sports for Nigeria, leaving the country with limited options in choosing events.
“Areas where we had competitive advantages have been taken away from us, so I am not too sure about our positioning,” he said.
However, he described the competition as an opportunity to develop young talents, expose them to international competition and build their capacity.
Olopade said the athletes had spent three weeks in camp preparing for the event, adding that the commission remained hopeful of winning medals.
He expressed particular optimism about the beach volleyball team, saying the young athletes had previously qualified Nigeria for the 2028 Olympics.
“I was very optimistic when I saw the beach volleyball. That could be a gold medal because it is the same team of young athletes still in school that qualified us for the 2028 Olympics,” he said.
The NSC director-general announced cash rewards of $3,000, $2,500 and $2,000 for athletes who win gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.
He said the money would go towards the athletes’ school fees, complementing the commission’s existing scholarship scheme for outstanding young athletes.
Olopade added that Nigeria would deploy three psychologists and two safeguarding officers to support the athletes’ psychological well-being and ensure their safety during the competition.
