The opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which kicks off today comes as cheering news for the sports faithful after the Games, which were initially set to hold between July 24 to August 9, 2020, were postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 globally.
Nigeria – competing in its 17th Olympics – has a total of 60 athletes taking part in 10 sports.
The Olympics has brought mixed fortunes for Nigeria, with 1996 still Nigeria’s best outing where Chioma Ajunwa and the country’s men U-23 football team won gold medals.
Nigeria’s other gold medal at the Olympics came in 2000, when the men’s 4x400m relay team had their silver medal upgraded to gold medal after a member of the American team, who had won the gold medal, failed a dope test.
The country’s athletes have also won 10 silver and 12 bronze medals, with athletics bringing in five silver and bronze medals respectively, while three silver and bronze medals each were won in the boxing event. Aside the Atlanta gold, football also has one silver and one bronze, same as weightlifting, with taekwondo the other medal winning sport with one bronze medal.
Africa’s most populous nations’ hopes for medals during the Tokyo Games are limited with only a few of the competitors at par with the best in their events.
