NIGERIA’S SPORTS HISTORY Nigerian sports, turned into noted first in the Nineteen Fifties. Nigeria had its first appearance inside the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, and its first victory in 1954, whilst Emmanuel Ifeajuna received a gold medal inside the excessive soar on the Commonwealth games in Cardiff. The Nationals Sports Council turned into set up in 1962, and modified to the National Sports Commission in 1971, with the following obligations:

1. NIGERIA’S SPORTS HISTORY
Nigerian sports, turned into noted first in the Nineteen Fifties. Nigeria had its first
appearance inside the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, and its first victory in 1954,
whilst Emmanuel Ifeajuna received a gold medal inside the excessive soar on the
Commonwealth games in Cardiff. The Nationals Sports Council turned into set up in
1962, and modified to the National Sports Commission in 1971, with the following
obligations:
• To coordinate and integrate efforts to elevate the same old of performance in sports in
Nigeria.
• To encourage the development, enterprise and participation of sports in Nigeria.
• To make any preparations on behalf of the States' Sports Councils for Competitions,
technical help, recruitment of coaches and for any other topics because the Commission
sees suit.
• To sell physical health and popular nicely-being of all men and women in Nigeria.
SPORTS PLAYED IN NIGERIA
The National Sports Commission promotes approximately twenty 4 distinctive sports
activities, each being organized via a non-independent governing body. Some of the
sports which might be performed in Nigeria consist of: Athletics (track and area),
Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Chess, Cricket, Cycling, Football (known as
soccer within the United States and in some other places), Gymnastics, Golf, Handball,
Hockey, Judo, Tennis, Rowing, Shooting, Squash rackets, Swimming, Table tennis
(called ping-pong in some different locations), Taekwondo, Volleyball, Power- lifting,
Wrestling, Traditional sports activities and a bunch of different Para- sports activities
(sports for the physically challenged). The Federal, State and Local Governments make
budget to be had for cutting-edge expenditure, equipment, and facilities for using the
Sports Divisions and its diverse governing bodies throughout the country. Stadia are
being constructed in many elements of the united states. The Abuja stadium, with
capability of 60,000, an Olympic-length swimming pool, a hockey astroturph and a
velodrome has emerge as the national rallying point. Another crucial stadium is
positioned at Onikan in Lagos, Nigeria’s former Federal capital city. It is worthwhile
placing the spotlight on the diverse sport activities now nicely set up inside the united
states of america.
FOOTBALL SOCCER
The Nigerian Football Federation turned into created in 1945. It become the first yr that
a opposition was organized bringing together clubs from Lagos, Port Harcourt and
Calabar. The championship turned into additionally renamed the Challenge Cup
replacing the Governor's Cup because it had been known below their British colonizers.
It changed into handiest numerous years later that the Challenge Cup have become a
countrywide trophy whilst other top golf equipment from extraordinary provinces were
invited to play. However, the clubs had to wait till 1990 for the expert league to be
brought.
Nigeria emerged at the international soccer/football scene in 1960 when it first entered
the World Cup, but did not qualify for the finals. It in the end certified for the 1970
World Cup in Mexico. The Nigerian National League started in 1972 while five groups

2. entered the league. This grew to twelve teams by 1978. By the Nineteen Eighties, the
country wide soccer team, the Super Eagles (formerly known as the Green Eagles) had
turn out to be a crew to reckon with on the international level. The Super Eagles changed
into adjudged the fine crew in Africa and one of the satisfactory ten within the world at a
time. Nigeria gained the primary World Cup inside the under-16 category in China in
1985 and came second the identical category years later in Canada.
Its Under-20 soccer group received the bronze medal in the Junior World Cup
competition within the Soviet Union in 1985, the silver medal in Saudi Arabia in 1989
and in the Netherlands in 2005. The countrywide football group, the Super Eagles has
gained the African Cup of Nations in 1980, 1994 and 2013 and turned into the finalist
three instances inside the opposition. They reached the second one spherical of the World
Cup in 1994, 1998 and 2014. They have been crowned Champions (Gold Medal) in
Olympic Games in Atlanta, U.S.A in 1996, a overall performance which Nigerians and
many Super Eagles fans the world over will take into account for a long time. The
beneath-17 team tutored by using Coach Yemi Tella additionally won the Gold Medal
within the 2007 Junior World Cup. The tale of the Super Eagles is also that of man or
woman superstar gamers that make the minds of soccer fanatics vibrate, from Henry
Nwosu, Segun Odegbami, Steven Keshi (RIP), Rashidi Yekini (RIP), Daniel Amokachi,
Mudashiru Lawal, Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West, Samson Siasia, Tijani Babangida, Victor
Ikpeba, Stephen Keshi(RIP), George Finidi, Emmanuel Amunike, Celestine Babayaro,
Austin Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Agali, Peter Odemwinge, Mikel Obi, Ahmed
Musa amongst others. The Super Eagles at the moment are ranked a few of the
satisfactory teams, no longer simplest in Africa but inside the world. They positioned up
an outstanding performance inside the 2014 World Cup championship in Brazil,
achieving the second round.
WOMEN FOOTBALL
Nigeria additionally boasts of a strong Women’s soccer group, the Super Falcons, which,
as of 2007, has received the seven variants of the African Women’s Football
championship organised since the advent of this championship in 1991. Driven with the
aid of proficient players, like Florence Omogbemi,Ajuma Ameh, Anne Chiejine, and
Effionanwan Ekpo, among others. The Women’s group also reached the area final of the
1999 Women’s foot- ball World Cup and the 2004 Olympic Games.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
Before Samuel Peter clinched the World Heavyweight name (2007), Nigeria produced 3
global champions (Hogan “Kid” Bassey, featherweight, 1957-1959): Dick Tiger,
(middleweight, (1962 - 1963) and Bash Ali (cruiser weight, 1987).
The Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) commonly functions prominently in maximum of
the global and open championships. In the Olympic video games, Nigeria have
outstanding boxers and many others who have completed the u . S . Proud in the sport of
boxing. These are Nojim Maiyegun (Tokyo 1964), Isaac Ikhouria (Munich 1972), Peter
Konyegwachie (Los Angeles 1984), David Izonritei and Richard Igbineghu (Barcelona
1992) and Duncan Dokiwari (Atlanta 1996) Also, as early as 1976, some Nigerian

3. Boxers including Davidson Andeh, Christopher Ossai and Monday Addis, gained most of
their fights throughout the National team’s tour of the defunct German Democratic
Republic and the Scandinavian nations
ATHLETICS
Nigeria’s athletes have also gained Olympic medals in lengthy leap, four X 400m relay
and several different tune and field activities. Nigerian athletics had been continuously
inside the international highlight, with dozens of Nigerians turning into expert athletes in
Europe and America.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) runs majority of the athletic competitions in
the u . S . A .. Primary and secondary faculty sports are, however, prepared by the
Ministries of Education in each state. There is a National School Sports Federation which
organizes competitions at which the Hussey Shield is vied for via boys, and the Lady
Manuwa Cup by ladies. This is in addition to other Athletic championships backed by
means of Mobil, Nestle Milo and many others. The usa has completed exploits in track
and subject, particularly within the Sprints and Relays.
PARA-SPORTS
In the location of sports for the bodily challenged, Nigeria has made her mark at both
continental and Olympic levels. Several medals have been received with the aid of
Nigerian athletes within the numerous sports activities, mainly, strength lift occasions.
NIGERIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ORGANISATIONS
At the apex of the global groups is the International Olympic Committee below whose
umbrella the individual International Sports Federation come collectively as soon as in 4
years to rejoice the Olympic Games. The IOC also attempts to hold the Olympic flame
burning within the years between the games with its Olympic Solidarity Programmes.
Affiliated to the IOC are the National Olympic Committees which can be responsible for
imparting groups for the Olympic Games. The National Olympic Committees have the
additional duty of making ready teams for the Commonwealth Games and the All-Africa
Games where applicable. The International Sports Federations, which might be stated to
be over a hundred, manage their sports at the Olympic Games issue to the approval of the
IOC.
However, the International Sports Federations which belong to the General Assembly of
International Sports Federation (GAIF) with headquarters in Monte Carlo are unbiased
and wield giant electricity over their sports during the world. The International Sports
Federations set the regulations for the worldwide organisation and officiating of their
game at the novice degree and, to a few large degree, at the expert degree. World bodies
like the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Federation of International Football
Associations (FIFA) and the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) have
massive monetary and political muscle and their regulations trans- verse amateur and
professional geographical regions. Nigeria, at the National degree, has over 25 associated
sports activities that are affiliated to the International Federations and the applicable
continental bodies.
Military sports is some other discipline which is doing nicely internationally and Nigeria
already belongs to local (Africa) and sub-regional (West Africa) army sports activities
bodies. Other groups like the World Health Organisation and the UNICEF have a

4. perimeter hobby in sports activities although United Nations companies are seeking to
UNESCO as “the primary co- coordinating company for matters referring to sports at
inter-governmental level.” Major industrial companies like Coca-Cola that are sponsoring
large sports events and big sports activities system production businesses also are having
increasing effect on the route and organization of inter- national sport. How has Nigeria
fared in worldwide and nearby sports bodies? Nigeria has over 25 sports activities
institutions affiliated to African and International Federations but at the cease of 1987,
simplest one association (badminton) had a continental president. It was simplest inside
the first zone of 1989 that a Nigerian became the president of the African Table Tennis
Federation; a game the us of a had dominated for over a decade on the continent. It turned
into additionally in 1988 that Nigeria were given the presidency of the Supreme Council
for Sport in Africa after the post changed into improved to ministerial stage with the exit
of Mr. Abraham Ordia in 1983. Nigeria additionally got the presidency of the West
African Football Union within the same yr.
SWIMMING
Once a popular conventional recreational interest, swimming is these days a recreation
for which communities just like the Ijaws, Itsekiris, Abohs and Urhobos and different
riverine regions within the country are famend. The recreation is officially carried out
beneath the control of the Nigeria Swimming Federation. The u . S . A . Is blessed with
masses of abilties and has been able to expand these via the construction of fashionable
swimming swimming pools throughout the u . S . And thru the sponsorship of
competitions by authorities and individuals.
MODERN WRESTLING
Wrestling as a game has been practised with the aid of Nigerians all of the time. It is
organized for the duration of unique events, considerably the brand new yam gala's,
anniversaries of historical wars or commemoration of local heroes. Towns and villages or
sections of the identical city compete with one another in wrestling contests. No trophies
or prizes are given to winners. The honour of being a champion is the praise. Good
wrestlers are usually held in excessive esteem in their groups. There are properly
Nigerian wrestlers especially who are acclaimed global title holders like Power Uti. The
Nigeria Boxing Federation is in rate of the game nationwide.
TENNIS
This sport is performed in all elements of the us of a and has gained reputation when you
consider that global class players like Nduka Odizor emerged. There are tennis courts in
almost every town inside the u . S . A . And lots of greater are being built. Several
championships inside the usa attract a great wide variety of global tennis stars from many
African countries, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy and the United States of America.
Besides, the Nigerian Lawn Tennis Association has featured in some of international
open championships.

5. OTHER Sports In Nigeria