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The Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) has ceremoniously welcomed the country’s wrestling team from the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics, despite the team failing to meet medal expectations.
The event, organised to recognise the efforts of the athletes, aimed to motivate them and show solidarity in difficult times.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service and a board member of the Wrestling Federation, addressed the gathering and stressed the importance of unity in both victory and defeat.
“We stick together when we are happy and we stick together when we are not,” Adeniyi said. “We have learned a very useful lesson from the experience we gained at the just-concluded Olympic Games in Paris.”
Adeniyi also stressed the need for continued support and expressed confidence in the team’s potential to make Nigeria proud in future international tournaments.
“It is not only when we win that we should receive this kind of reception. We believe it is necessary to show our athletes and officials that we are a Federation and a country that appreciates what they have done,” he said.
NWF President Daniel Igali took the opportunity to apologise to Nigerians for the team’s performance, acknowledging the high expectations placed on the federation due to its past successes on the world stage.
“We also apologise to Nigerians for not achieving the climax we had set out to achieve,” Igali said, noting that the Wrestling Federation has a long history, including six world championships, an unprecedented achievement in Nigerian sporting history.
Nigeria was represented at the Paris Olympics by six wrestlers: Ogunsanya Christianah (53kg), Kolawole Esther (62kg), Adekuoroye Odunayo (57kg), Reuben Hannah (76kg), Oborududu Blessing (68kg) and Mutuwa Ashton (125kg), who plays for the United States. Despite their efforts, the team failed to secure any medals, but the Federation remains optimistic about their future prospects.
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