Despite being let down severally by the Nigerian Government, especially in the areas of funding, planning and general support, we still believe in the abilities of the athletes representing us. Here are the top stars we think will win big in Rio.
1. Dream Team VI member, Oghenekaro Etebo.
Etebo made us super proud when he scored 4 out of 5 goals in our U-23 game against Japan.
2. Olympic and World Championship medalist, Blessing Okagbare.
Okagbare will represent us in both track events and long jump.
3. Champion tennis player, Aruna Qadri.
Quadri has set a record as the first African to make it to the Table Tennis Quarter Finals at the Olympics.
4. Odunayo Adekuoroye, freestyle wrestling champion.
She won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and a bronze at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships.
Shane plays center position for FC Barcelona Lassa, and is a great addition to the Nigerian team for the Men’s Tournament at the Olympics.
6. Track and field athlete, Margaret Bamgbose.
Bamgbose was the lead for Team Nigeria’s relay race at the World Indoor Championships in Portland this year, and will represent Nigeria in the 400m Women’s Race.
7. American-born athlete, Miles Ukaoma.
He competed in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and will represent Nigerian in the 400m Men’s Hurdle.
8. Champion sprinter, Gloria Asunmu.
Asunmu represented Nigeria in the 2014 IAAF relays, 2015 World Championships in Beijing and the 2016 African Championships in South Africa. She will represent Nigeria in the Women’s 100m and 4 by 100m relay race.
9. U-23 footballer, Umar Sadiq.
Sadiq who is also a forward for football club A.S Roma, scored Nigeria’s first goal in the game against Japan, and we look forward to all the amazing things this 19-year-old will do in Rio.
10. John Mikel Obi, professional footballer.
Mikel is a regular on the Nigerian national football team, and also a mid-fielder for English football club Chelsea. He is the captain of the Dream Team VI, and so far has led the team to win against Sweden and Japan.
24-year-old Robel Kiros Habte, out of his love for swimming joined the Olympic team to represent his country, Ethiopia, at the Summer Olympics in Rio. Unfortunately for him, haters had a lot to say about his weight.
During the competition, Robel came 59th out of the 59 competitors and even got cut from the camera.
After this poor performance, he was badly body shamed for his 179 pound weight and was even given a horrible nickname, “Robel The Whale”.
Although reports say he was only able to join the team with the influence of his father, who is the president of the Ethiopian Swimming Federation, Robel has decided to not give up on swimming.
He explained that he wanted to do something different for his country for the first time. In his words, “My country is famous for runners. I wanted to be famous for being a swimmer”.
Speaking to Daily Mail about his current body size, he shared how he gained a lot of weight after surviving a car accident.
While these negative comments have put him off from contesting in the next Olympics, Habte has sworn to shut all the haters down by working hard and placing his name in other international swimming competitions.
In spite of his poor performance, he’s proud to be an Olympian and that should be the most important thing.
And although his entry into the Olympics may have been out of corruption and not merit, body shaming him will not change the fact that he was the 1st Ethiopian to swim at the Olympics.
This post is pretty hard to write because our beloved Nigeria did not impress us. Due to poor planning, Team Nigeria couldn’t slay in traditional outfits. We are only here for the laughs sha, and we saved the worst for last.
The Good:
1. The South Korean Team looking nice and preppy in Beanpole’s design is seriously the cutest thing we’ve seen at the Olympics.
These guys oozed cuteness.
2. This guy from Tonga only had to wear baby oil.
My oh my!
3. All we see is awesomeness with this perfectly tailored Team USA ensemble.
These Ralph Lauren boat shoes are the business!
4. Team Canada went for flawless street style swag, designed by Dsquared.
We half expected Drake and a flash mob to pop out.
6. Team Djibouti killed it with a simple cultural look.
Africans representing!
7. And here is Team Great Britain serving a very British look in Stella McCartney and Adidas.
Those sneakers are everything.
8. Team Cuba looked like money in Louboutin/Sporty Henri designs.
So very classy.
Although they wore parkas over that awesomeness at the Opening Ceremony.
Ahn ahn, why now?
The Bad:
1. Team Germany didn’t look so great wearing leggings under skirts.
Leggings bawo?
2. Team Italy could have done with more color, they looked really dull in Giorgio Armani’s all black designs.
Abeg whose funeral is it?
3. Looks like Nigerian tailors made Team Sweden’s ill-fitting skirts using ugly fabric.
We are not understanding.
4. Team China looked like a cold plate of tomato stew with the ugliest tie colors.
Those ties are a no-no!
5. We really like how cultural Team Indonesia looked, but the red and white blazer is giving us serious Ajinomoto vibes.
‘Maggi maggi!’
The Ugly.
We’re giving Team Nigeria the award for ‘The Ugly’ mainly because the outfits they were supposed to wear were beyond atrocious.
Chineke!
Thankfully, there was a delay in planning and the athletes had to wear available tracksuits instead.
Praise the Lord!
Nigeria’s basketball team, D’Tigers, had a photo-shoot in Brazil that basically broke the internet.
But we are actually here for the ‘jonzing’ meme Olaseni ‘Shane’ Lawson blessed us with:
1. When you shout the wrong answer in class with confidence.
2. When you tell your friends that you’re travelling abroad for the holiday and your parents tell you to pack for village.
3. When you text a babe you like and her boyfriend replies you.
4. When you say “last card” and your friend gives you pick 3.
5. When you get credit alert and you check and see N20 POS Loyalty.
6. When you’re arguing with your boyfriend and he is confidently missing the point.
7. When your card gets declined on your date after you’ve finished eating.
8. When you’re moving in for a hug and she stretches out her hand for you.
9. When you’re about to enter her DM and she posts an ‘I just said yes” engagement picture.
10. When you tell her you love her and she says she loves you too… like a brother.
11. When the ATM finishes making the ‘krrrrr’ sound, but nothing comes out.
12. When you pay for her plane ticket and another man picks her up at the airport.
13. When the last match casts your sweet bet slip.
14. When you storm off hoping the market woman will call you back but she lets you walk away.
15. When you smile at a fine babe in the club and her friend is the one that smiles back.
As if Nigerian athletes haven’t gone through enough problems already, they were once again let down at the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony due to poor planning by the Nigerian Olympic Committee.
The Opening Ceremony is the official start of every Olympic Games, and Vanderlei de Lima, a former Brazilian athlete opened it this time around.
Athletes from different countries filed out in a colorful parade, dressed very beautifully, especially this flag bearer from Tonga.
How Nigerians waited for our athletes to appear in killer outfits, because we slay at this Aso Ebi game.
But imagine our shock when Team Nigeria came out in track suits, not looking super-excited to be at the Olympics. But can we blame them?
The athletes had to wear track suits because the traditional attire was not available.
And we are just as pained! Nigeria and disappointment are like two peas in a pod, and we are just tired!
After going through so much and not even receiving financial support from the Nigerian government, the women representing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics 4x400m relay event have been disqualified by the IAAF.
According to Complete Sports, the team got banned after one of the athletes, Tosin Adeloye, tested positive to a banned substance at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Super Grand Prix/Warri Relays which took place in Warri, Delta State in July 2015.
As a result, Nigeria will no longer be represented at the 4x400m event even after the team came 4th during the IAAF World Championship in August 2015. All records of the team making the top list during the Beijing games have also been removed from the IAAF website.
In addition to being disqualified from the Olympics, Tosin has been banned for 8 years and also stripped of all the results she achieved individually or jointly.
While other members of the relay team will still take part in other events, it’s unfortunate that Regina George, one of the athletes that raised funds via GoFundMe, will not make the Olympics because the 4x400m race was the only event she was to participate in.
More attention should be paid to Nigerian athletes, so they are properly educated on the necessary regulations to obey and also the kinds of substances to be avoided.
But this feat didn’t come easy for Chierika Ukogu, who had to put off medical school for 2 years just to make her dream of representing Nigeria at the Olympics possible.
Despite not receiving any financial help from the Nigerian government, this Stanford University graduate funded her training and travel expenses through her full-time job and T-shirt sales.
However, with the Olympics drawing nearer, the need to train harder drove Chiereka to raise more funds via her GoFundMe page.
Although she was born and raised by Nigeria parents in the U.S, Chiereka is thrilled to be the first Nigerian athlete to row at the Olympics
What motivates her isn’t just her personal goal to be a great athlete, but also the need to promote sports in Africa and also inspire young people in Nigeria and the U.S.
We’re so proud of Chiereka! We wish her all the best and hope she brings all the gold home.
For a country that’s home to amazing athletes like Blessing Okagbare and Seye Ogunlewe, it’s expected that these sportsmen are properly rewarded for their efforts.
Unfortunately, Nigerian athletes hardly enjoy any benefits and this video couldn’t be more saddening.
🎥"Nobody cares about us…we didn't eat for 3 days…not everybody can run with stress" Travails of 🇳🇬 athletes Pt.1 pic.twitter.com/pg4CUJ3DDa
Although the Nigerian team qualified for the Summer Olympics, it was reported that the athletes were asked to buy their tickets to the trip themselves.
It’s even more disappointing that the fastest man in Asia as at 2016 is Nigerian-born, Femi Ogunode.
For a country with a high unemployment rate, the sports sector should at least be adequately funded so that the Nigerian youth going into sports can be empowered.
Following the reaction from Nigerians on social media, the sports minister, Solomon Dalung, addressed the issue claiming the sports ministry had nothing to do with the email which was obviously signed by a deputy director in the ministry.
