Sports Development: patrons demand latitude for growth

• Published date: 20 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

This year would be busy for Nigerian sports as the country will be participating in many key sporting events across the world. Team Nigeria athletes would have opportunities to re-enact their impressive performance at last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where the country emerged as Africa's best nation with 12 gold, nine silver and 14 bronze medals. Yet keen sports followers and administrators enthused that the country can do even better in future engagements with renewed vigour this term, writes TUNDE LIADI.

Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) President , Dr Ibrahim Abdul , has predicted a year of bounty harvest for the sport as the NWF prepare for Olympic Games Qualifiers and other championships in 2023.

Speaking against the background of the performance of weightlifting contingent to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and National Sports Festival in Asaba, Abdul pointed out that 2023 would be bigger and better if the NWF is able to follow through on her activities.

'2022 was a good year for us though we didn't meet many of our set objectives,' Abdul began in an exclusive interview with NationSport.' Our target was to win four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games; we won half of that and got other medals too.

'One of our targets for last year was also to organize a National Weightlifting Championship but the date coincided with the initial date for the National Sports Festival. It was postponed because we couldn't make plans for the teams.

'We also took part in a very competitive National Sports Festival held in Asaba, Delta.

'I can say we scored over 70 percent in the area of programme execution; we did well.'

He further hailed the contributions of the weightlifters at the Commonwealth Games where Adijat Olarinoye and Rafiat Lawal won Gold medals in the 55kg and 59kg but he reserved special adulation for Taiwo Liadi who won a silver medal in a category she was not expected to be in the medal zone.

He said 2023 is loaded with activities with the NWF striving to attend four of the five Olympic Games Qualifying Championships this year to boost the country's chances of having some weightlifters at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

'The highlight for me was at the Commonwealth Games was when Taiwo Liadi won a silver medal,' Abdul continued.' It was quite unexpected because of the calibre of opposition , I felt she won't come within the medals' category but she surprised us.

'I know she's good and that her preparation was fantastic but she surprised me and other officials. Even though we got two gold medals through Rafiat Lawal and Adijat Olarinoye but her feat was very encouraging.

'The technical committee and the technical director have submitted their plans and programmes for 2023. The most important is the fact that we must attend five...