Tag: Paris 2024

Spain head coach Montse Tome will lean heavily on the players who won the Women’s World Cup last year after the entire starting 11 from their victory over England in Sydney was included in her 22-woman squad for the Paris Games.

The squad, released by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), includes 34-year-old all-time top scorer Jennifer Hermoso and Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati.

The Olympic Games should be an economic boon for any city hosting it, as visitors flock to the event.

Hermoso, Bonmati and Ona Batlle scored in Spain’s 3-0 home win over the Netherlands in the Nations League semi-finals in February that secured Olympic qualification for the first time.

Spain are drawn in Group C at Paris along with Japan, Nigeria and Brazil. The women’s football tournament will be held from July 25 to Aug. 10.

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Meanwhile, Swedish club Rosengard have announced midfielder Halimatu Ayinde will miss the Paris 2024 Olympics after she suffered a knee injury in training.

Ayinde, who has won the WAFCON thrice, was named on the Super Falcons final squad for the Paris Olympics  on Wednesday.

The experienced midfielder, who has battled injuries recently, will now have to be replaced by one of the four alternate players named by coach Randy Waldrum.

Spain-based Gift Monday could be the most likely replacement .

Nigeria Wrestler Esther Kolawole has vowed to make positive impact on her debut appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris, France.

The athletes and officials are expected to depart Nigeria for Spain today for a pre-Olympic tournament in Madrid before settling in Germany for their last camping ahead of the games proper.

Kolawole, who wrestle in the 62Kg said  in Yenagoa during the Nigeria Wrestling team Olympic Games’ bound unveiling ceremony that she would give her best in Paris with the resolve to end up with a medal.

She said she has prepared very well and that she hopes to use the Pre-Olympic Tournament in Madrid, Spain and the camping exercise in Germany to gauge the level of her preparations for the Olympics.

“I promise to give my best at the Olympic Games and strive to finish with a medal hopefully,” Kolawole said.

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Meanwhile, Nigeria Wrestling Federation has unveiled six athletes who will fly the nation’s flag at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. 

The team, which comprises five women’s wrestlers, one male freestyle wrestler and three coaches, were presented on Monday in a colourful ceremony at the Dynamite Wrestling gym in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Wrestlers unveiled are: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Blessing Oborodudu (68kg), reigning African champion Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg), and Military world champion Hannah Reuben (76kg).

Also, reigning African champions and debutants, Esther Kolawole (62kg) and Ogunsanya Christianah (53kg), while Ashton Mutuwa completes the list in the (125kg) men’s freestyle wrestling. The coaches are Victor Kodei, Purity Akuh, and Happiness Burutu.

The Nigeria Wrestling Federation has unveiled 6 athletes to fly the nation’s flag at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

The team, which comprises, five female wrestlers,  one male freestyle wrestler and three coaches, was presented yesterday at a colourful ceremony at the Dynamite Wrestling gym in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Wrestlers unveiled are: Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Blessing Oborodudu (68kg), reigning African champion Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg), and Military world champion Hannah Reuben  (76kg).

Also, reigning African champions and debutants, Esther Kolawole (62kg) and  Ogunsanya Christinah (53kg) while Ashton Mutuwa completes the list in the (125kg) men’s freestyle wrestling.

coaches, Victor Kodei, Purity Akuh, and Happiness Burutu.

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The President Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, in his remarks expressed confidence that the nation’s Wrestlers will put up a good performance at this year’s Olympics. 

“The Nigeria Wrestling Federation is a very serious Federation, the athletes have been in camp training for couple of weeks now and in my view they’re prepared.”

“The athletes won’t be going to Paris to participate but to compete and you know when someone competes is for medals and we are hoping that if we compete very well the medals will come.” Igali said.

Earlier,  the Bayelsa State Government through the Secretary to the State government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei bids farewell to the contingents with the aim to make Nigerians proud. 

““Our love for the Olympics today is the reason we are here. So, I enjoin you to make the nation proud at the Games by competing clean and bringing glory back home so we all can celebrate,” Ayawei stated.

The athletes and officials are expected to depart Nigeria for Spain on tomorrow for a pre Olympic tournament in Madrid before settling in Germany for their last camping ahead of the games proper.

As the date for the commencement of the 2024 Paralympics Games draw nearer, Paralympic Committee of Nigeria(PCN) has commenced camping exercise for its athletes.

The paralympic games will hold between August 28  and September 8 in Paris .

President of Paralympic Committee of Nigeria(PCN), Sunday Odebode, informed  that the para-athletics and para-badminton will be in Abuja for their camping exercise while para-powerlifting and para-table tennis will be in Lagos for the exercise.

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“As you are all aware, the paralympic games is around the corner and we at PCN is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure adequate preparations for our athletes, hence the decision to commence camping in earnest. This will put the athletes in good shape during the games where we hope to excel and make the country proud,” he said.

He further said that other federations will soon embark on their camping once venues have been secured.

Offiong Edem, Nigerian international table tennis player,  has set a quarter final  target  for herself at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games .

Edem stated  as much  an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Day 1 of the World Table Tennis Contender 2024 in Lagos.

 “It is a good thing I qualified for the Olympic Games, am very excited to still be playing actively and this will be my fifth. One has to stay discipline and committed.

 “It was not an easy task, am very happy I made it to my fifth Olympics and I am going to play my best and give my best to my country.

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 “For me after the qualifier, I have been practicing and also we have tournaments too here in Lagos which will help me prepare for the games in France, “ he said.

She said that training in Germany would go a long to enhance their preparations for the games.

 “In 2020, I  won the top 50 player and lost in the second round , I want to move further this time and I am just trying to be focused,“ she said

Edem is ranked 113^th   in the world and  made her debut at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

The former African Games champion, who will be making a fifth appearance in France, has been the mainstay of the Nigerian female tennis  team.

Andy Murray has been  named as one of the four British singles players for the Paris Olympics, which will be his fifth Summer Games.

Murray, who has said he intends to retire later this year, was granted an International Tennis Federation (ITF) place to compete at the French Open at Roland Garros despite his lowly singles ranking of 97 because he is a former Grand Slam winner and Olympic gold medallist.

Team GB were also notified on Thursday that 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu would be in the mix for an ITF place, but she turned down the chance because of the multiple changes in surface over the coming weeks and after only recently returning from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Murray, who won Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio in 2016, is one of four male singles players selected, alongside Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans.

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It was a landmark day for Draper, the incoming British number one, as just hours later the 22-year-old won his maiden ATP tour title, beating former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-6 (7⁄5), 6-4 in the final of the Stuttgart Open.

Katie Boulter – who played Raducanu in the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open  yesterday – was the sole female player included in the British team.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will represent Team GB in the men’s doubles and the pairing of Murray and Evans have been nominated for an additional space in that competition, which will be determined by the ITF – the governing body of world tennis who run the tournament – on June 25.

Anuoluwapo Opeyori‘s name is already etched in the history books of Nigerian badminton. As the nation’s undisputed champion and Africa’s number one player, he’s soared to new heights, securing a coveted spot at the prestigious Paris 2024 Olympics.

But Opeyori’s journey is more than just qualification – it’s a story of dedication, resilience, and a burning ambition to rewrite history on the global stage.

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Opeyori’s path to badminton stardom began not in a world-class facility, but on local courts, honing his skills alongside his brother and coach, Funsho Opeyori. Financial constraints were a constant hurdle, but raw talent and unwavering determination fueled his passion.

Through relentless training and a deep desire to represent his nation, Opeyori rose through the ranks of African badminton, dominating tournaments with his aggressive style and powerful smashes.

Jamaica’s ‘s Oblique Seville, left, beat reigning world champion Noah Lyles of the United States, right, in the men’s 100m final at the Racer Grand Prix meet in Jamaica

Oblique Seville ran the fastest 100 meters in the world this year, 9.82 seconds, to defeat reigning world champion Noah Lyles on Saturday at the Racer Grand Prix meet.

The 23-year-old shocked himself with the effort, aided by a tailwind of 0.9 m/sec, to break his prior personal best of 9.86 and dominate American star Lyles, who crossed the line next in 9.85, just off his best of 9.83.

 “I feel good,” Seville said. “I’m a little surprised. It’s special to be able to run so fast without too much specific work. It shows that I can still do better.”

The Jamaican is coached by Glen Mills, former mentor of legend Usain Bolt, for whom Jamaica has been looking for an heir since his 2017 retirement.

Seville collected places of honour during the last major championships: fourth in the 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics and in the 100m at the Worlds in 2022 and 2023.

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His clear race allowed him to tame Lyles, to whom he gave a defiant look at the line. The two sprinters ran significantly faster than the best prior 2024 time, 9.93 by Americans Christian Miller and Kendal Williams.

Lyles won titles in the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay in last year’s Worlds at Budapest and is considered a major favourite for the Paris Olympics.

Saint Lucia athlete Julien Alfred, 22, also achieved a 2024 world-best performance in the women’s 100m in 10.78 with a 1.3 m/s wind.

The 60m indoor world champion showed her ability to contend for gold in France.

Jamaican 19-year-old Jaydon Hibbert, the junior world record holder, soared 17.75m to win the triple jump (-0.7 m/s wind) to establish the best world mark this year.

World 60m hurdles indoor champion Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas won the 100 hurdles in 12.64 (1 m/s wind) and American Trey Cunningham took the 110m hurdles in 13.12 (0.8 m/s).

The President, Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Rafiu Ladipo has applauded the decision by the International Boxing Association(IBA)  to financially reward boxers that won medals at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Ladipo  said that the boxers will sweat and prepare very hard as possible if they qualify for the Olympic Games and that they deserve all financial rewards that come their ways  should finish on the podium at the Games.

Ladipo disclosed that IBA deserve all the praises for coming up with such initiatives to reward the boxers who have been working hard to ensure they win medals for their nations at the Olympic Games.

“I will say boxers will give everything including their blood to be at the Olympic Games and if they win medals and are recognised for that effort, so be it. I see it as  a welcome development,” Ladipo told NationSport.

“Olympic Games boxing event is meant for amateur boxers who do not get as much as the professionals who are paid much to fight. They need money to support themselves and I appreciate the gesture from the IBA. It will go a long way to ginger the boxers to go out of their ways.”

Ladipo nonetheless appeal to amateur boxers to turn professionals when the time is right so that they can start fighting for the money and more recognition.

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“I will advise amateur boxers to turn professionals to make more money. Amateur boxers cannot fight for more than three minutes of three rounds while a professional can go for 10 or 11 rounds of three minutes each.”

NationSport recalls that the International Boxing Association recently made the announcement to reward boxers who excel Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The organisation became the second sporting body after  World Athletics to offer  cash rewards  for Olympic medallists.

IBA president Umar Kremlev is the former chief of the Russian Boxing Federation and announced ‘the unprecedented move in the history of the sport’ in a statement, claiming they will distribute more than $3.1m (£2.4m) to over 100 athletes.

He said IBA will award $100,000 (£78,500) to gold medallists, $50,000 (£39,000) for silver medals and $25,000 (£19,500) for bronze.

Of those amounts, half will go the athlete, with the other 50 per cent shared between their coach and national federation. Boxers who lose in the quarter-finals and finish fifth will also each receive $10,000 (£7,850).

“Our athletes and their efforts must be appreciated,” said Kremlev. ‘IBA offers opportunities and invests considerably in our boxers, they remain as the focal point, and we will continue to support them at all levels.’

 “We pride ourselves on being among the pioneers in rewarding the athletes for their Olympic successes. As IBA president, I will always fight for our athletes’ wellbeing, and this step is consistent in terms of the existing commitments we have already taken.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity to honour the new champions, medallists, and quarter-finalists from Paris 2024.”

In preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Nigeria Wrestling Federation  commenced a training camp for wrestlers yesterday, 29th May , in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital. 

The President Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Hon. Daniel Igali said the Federation has the mandate to ensure that Nigerian Wrestlers perform optimally in the Wrestling event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“We have a mandate to ensure that we strive for podium finishes  at the Olympics, that’s reason enough to put all machinery in place for optimum performance.” Igali stated.

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A total of 6 athletes, 5 females and 1 male led by Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Blessing Oborodudu will represent Nigeria in the Wrestling event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Recall earlier this month, the Wrestling Federation also sponsored a two-week camp for the wrestlers prior to Mercy Genesis’ participation at the World Wrestling Olympic qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Wrestlers going for the Paris Olympics: 68kg Blessing Oborodudu, 57kg Odunayo Adekuoroye, 53kg Ogunsanya Christinah and Esther Kolawole 62kg while 125kg is Ashton Mutuwa – the only qualified male Wrestler heading to Paris.