By Francis Ajuonuma
After four years of waiting, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games will formally begin today in the City of Birmingham, England with over 60 countries participating in the 26 different sports .
Team Nigeria made up of 94 athletes and accompaning 21 officials will be competing at the games in nine different sports – Athletics, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting and Para Table.
At the 2018 games in Gold Coast, Australia, Team Nigeria finished nineth at the medals table with a total of 24 made up of nine gold, nine silver and nine bronze medals.
South Africa was Africa’s best performer at the 2018 games in Gold Coast, Australia finishing sixth on the medals table with 37 medals of 13 gold,11 silver and 13 medals, while the host country, Australia emerged overall champion with 80 gold, 59 silver and 59 bronze medals.
However, the XXII Commonwealth Games looks more promising for Team Nigeria going by their impressive outing at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States, where the country finished 13th on the medals log.
Team Nigeria, no doubt will be banking on the likes of reigning 100m hurdles world champion, Tobi Amusan, world championships silver medalist, Ese Brume, Tokyo 2022 Olympics games silver medalist wrestler, Blessing Oborududu, Favour Ofili, shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha and others to deliver the medals but will face very strong oppositions from athletes of England, India, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa ,Wales, Scotland and Cyprus amongst others.
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Apart from athletics, Team Nigeria is also favoured to make medal hauls in wrestling, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting and Para Table. These are area where Nigeria has often done well at major international competition.
Speaking at a farewell dinner organised for Team Nigeria by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing in Abuja recently, Youth and Sports Minister Sunday Dare expressed optimism that Team Nigeria will do well in Birmingham.
The minister hinged his confidence on the quality of athletes selected for the games and the high level of preparations the athletes have through at the various training camps.
“The last few months have toughened our athletes. Some of them were in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America for the World Athletics Championships. And also, some were in Mauritius for the African Senior Athletics Championships.
“By being part of these competitions, I can say that Team Nigeria is fit and ready. We will compete with determination and fairly.
As a Ministry, we have tried to provide resources as much as we can afford for our athletes to be well prepared and we are sure of great success,” the minister said.
The 12 days games which ends on August 8 will feature 280 events in 20 sports
