Team Nigeria school sports contingent returns from Algeria
Athletes and officials of Nigeria’s school sports contingent have returned home after an impressive outing at the inaugural School Sports Games in Algeria.
The team won a total of 25 medals to place fourth overall in the competition.
Team Captain, Miracle Ezechukwu, described the event as a major exposure for young athletes, expressing optimism about future performances.
“This is an international exposure for us as athletes and we will do better in the future. I want to thank the National Sports Commission (NSC) for giving us the opportunity to represent our country. It is a rare privilege and a dream come true to fly out in the green and white colours,” she said.
“For long, I watched other athletes travel, not knowing I would one day not only travel to represent Nigeria but also captain the team. I am proud of my achievements, winning two gold medals and one silver,” she added.
The team’s success in Algeria further strengthens the NSC’s grassroots sports drive, as all the athletes were products of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) concept.
They were scouted during the National Sports Festival in Ogun State earlier this year, with many going on to win medals at the Games.
Nigeria will host the second edition of the Games in 2027, having secured the hosting rights from the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).
