Nigeria at the Olympic Games

The Olympics

Nigeria and the Olympic Games

Olympic is an international multi-sport event held every four years in the designated or host country accommodating hundreds to thousands of competitors and spectators, and is mostly done in summer and/or winter period. The one held in summer period is known as Summer Olympic Games while the one held in winter period is known as Winter Olympic Games which is been carried out on snow and ice as it involves sports like ice skating and the others.

In each Olympic game, gold medals are awarded for the first winner, silver medals for the second winner, and bronze medals for the third winner. As of 2016, the Olympics increased in scope ranging from a 43-event competition with 241 male competitors from 14 nations in 1896 to 306 events ranging from 11,238 competitors with a total of 6,179 men and 5,059 women from 207 teams.

Nigeria participates in Olympic Games and related sports competitions with the aim of encouraging the development, organization and participation of sports in Nigeria as well as promoting physical fitness and general well-being of all individual in Nigeria. In Olympics games, some of the common and popular sports mostly participated by Nigerians include soccer, weightlifting, judo, table tennis, basketball, wrestling, long jump, boxing, triple jump, and sprints.

Nigeria has a body that oversees the operation and functioning of Olympics Games and also prepares athletes with the determination to succeed and win. This body also fosters and develops Olympic Movement in each country. And just like Nigeria, each country engages their athlete in serious training providing them with standard equipment when preparing for Olympic Games.

Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports are set by the International Sports Federation that governs sports international competition. Competitors are qualified by attaining a certain level in a major International event or in the International Sports federation ranking list. Not more than three individual athletes represent each nation per competition in Olympic Games. Each nation is represented by not more than one team per competition.

Olympics is the pinnacle of sports in Nigeria, Africa and globally. It is geared towards creating awareness to the Nigerian youths to develop a passion for sports and become a top-level athlete thereby creating history for themselves and to the society at large.