Nigerian sports evoke lots of positive memories as well as negativity too in 2023. In this report, TUNDE LIADI highlights potpourri of events that made the headlines across Nigerian sports in the outgoing year
THE NATION
All is well that ended well for sports in Nigeria in the out-going Year 2023 following the conquests of both Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala as the men’s and Women’s African Footballer of the Year at the annual CAF Awards Gala held in Marrakech,
Actually, things started falling in shape for the duo in September when France Football Magazine announced that Osimhen and Oshoala were both nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
A month later, Osimhen finished eighth on the list and became the first Nigerian to be named in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or. He was also the highest-ranking African, finishing ahead of Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, who placed 11th.
Oshoala finished 20th in the women’s category en route to her record-extending sixth CAF women’s Footballer of the Year award on December 11 while Osimhen was crowned the 2023 CAF Men’s ‘Player of the Year.
Yet Osimhen’s award was even more remarkable as he became the first Nigerian men’s footballer to win the CAF award in 24 years.
The Super Eagles striker garnered the highest number of votes to defeat Egypt’s Mohammed Salah and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco to win the coveted individual as he joined the illustrious list of his compatriots who had been previously so honoured.
The previous Nigerian winners includes Rashidi Yekini (1993), Emmanuel Amuneke (1994), Victor Ikpeba (1997) and Nwankwo Kanu, who won the prize twice in 1996 and 1999.
Indeed, 2023 will be a year to remember in Nigerian football as the country also produced Super Falcons and Paris FC goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie , as the CAF’ Goalkeeper of The Year while the Falcons’ show at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earned them the National Team of The Year gong.
On the pitch, other feats recorded by Nigeria on the continent in 2023 were the qualifications of both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons for next year’s AFCON and WAFCON respectively.
Osimhen was the AFCON qualifiers top scorer with 10 goals as Nigeria topped its group with 15 points. On the other hand, the Falcons reached the tournament billed for Morocco after beating Cape Verde 7-1 on aggregate.
Below are other potpourri of events that made the headlines across Nigerian sports in 2023.
HIGH-FLYING SUPER FALCONS
Super Falcons were one of three African countries to cruise to the round of 16 of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. They won the hearts of fans globally with their spirited display and qualification from a seemingly tough group that had Olympic champions Canada, co-hosts Australia and Republic of Ireland. They however, defied the odds by staying unbeaten in the group stage with five points before they were knocked out on penalties by England in the round of 16.
Yet the preparation of the Super Falcons for the 2023 Women’s Cup was mired in controversy after coach Randy Waldrum complained about the team’s abysmal preparation for the tournament. He also revealed that the NFF owed him seven months’ salary.
The American said some players were also owed “per diem and bonuses” from two years ago and this expectedly led to a frosty relationship with the NFF.
UNGLORIOUS MOMENT FOR AMUSAN
Two days before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Tobi Amusan was cleared by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to compete, one month after she was provisionally suspended for three whereabout tests failures. Amusan is the first ever Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event when she won the 2022 World Championships 100 m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds (+0.9m/s) in the semi-final, followed up by a 12.06 seconds (+2.5m/s) in the final.
But she was unable to defend her title at the 2023 World Championships held in Budapest where she finished sixth in the final held on 24 August, in the race won by Jamaica’s Danielle Williams. Three weeks later, she capped her season with a third successive Diamond League title in a time of 12.33secs.
DOMINANT D’TIGRESS
Just a few weeks before the 28th edition of the AfroBasket Women held between 28 July and 5 August 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) employed former national team player, Rena Wakama as the replacement for Otis Hughley, the coach who had led D’Tigress to three consecutive continental titles.
The federation also overhauled the team, with the squad for the 2023 Afrobasket compiled following open try-outs in Chicago, Lagos, and Abuja. But the absence of the known experienced players had little consequence as the newcomers led by Amy Okonkwo steamrolled teams to get to the finals, where they also defeated Senegal 84-74 points to claim Nigeria’s fourth consecutive Afrobasket title. They also equalled the record set by Senegal in 1981 when they lifted the crown in Rwanda. Wakama became the first female coach to win the competition since its inception in 1966.
But there was little to cheer about their men’s counterparts as D’Tigers failed to qualify for the basketball event of the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
It is the first time the national men’s basketball team would miss the Olympics since Beijing 2008 after failing to secure a ticket at the FIBA Olympic pre-qualification tournament held, ironically, in Lagos.
QUADRI, OSHONAIKE RULE WAVES IN TABLE TENNIS
In September, Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna successfully defended his ITTF Africa Senior Championships crown, defeating Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh 4-0 (11-2, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6) in the men’s singles final in Tunisia.
The 35-year-old made a light work of the Egyptian to win his third continental title. He won the second title last year in Algeria with a 4-3 close win against Egypt’s Omar Assar. He had to come back from two sets down to achieve that feat.
Meanwhile, ageless 47-year-old Funke Oshonaike combined with Fatimo Bello to win gold in the women’s doubles event at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African championship in Tunisia as the Nigerian duo defeated Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Egypt’s Marwa Alhod in the final.
ENYIMBA IN NINTH NPFL’S HEAVEN
Two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba FC reigned supreme as the most successful football team in the country by winning a record-extending ninth Nigeria Premier Football League title in Lagos. The People’s Elephant edged Remo Stars by superior goal difference to clinch the title during a keenly contested Super 6 tournament in Lagos.
CRICKETERS GET CRACKING
Nigeria recorded significant improvements in cricket in 2023. It started with the women’s senior national team, the Female Yellow Greens, winning the NCF T20i tournament in Lagos just as their male counterparts, the Yellow Greens, also won the maiden West Africa Trophy with a 100 per cent record in Lagos. Before the men’s triumph, Nigeria was selected as one of the countries to host the ICC 2023 Cricket World Cup Trophy. The two-day event, which began in Abuja climaxed in Lagos.
UNSTOPPABLE WRESTING TEAM
Team Nigeria emerged winner of 12 medals including six gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals at the 2023 African Wrestling Championship held in Hammamet, Tunisia. The medal winners at the 2023 African Wrestling Championship include Olympic medallist Blessing Oborodudu who won gold to becomes 12-time African champion. Others that won gold medals are Mercy Genesis (50kg), Christianah Ogunsanya , Adegoke Jumoke (55kg), Mercy Adekuoroye (57kg) and Ebi Biogos (72kg).
The silver medalists were Patience Opuene (59kg), Esther Kolawole (62kg), Hannah Reuben (76kg) and Ebipatei Moghenbofa (65kg).
With the victory, Nigeria retained its team title in female wrestling, to become 12-time African female wrestling champions.
Meanwhile, there is also Odunayo Adekuoroye’s majestic march to the next year’s Olympics as the three -time Commonwealth Games wrestling champions, Odunayo ye booked her ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.
World number 22, Adekuoroye, earned her placement at next year’s games after winning bronze at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia as defeated World number 12 Elvira Kamaloglu of Turkey 9-5 points in the 57 kg category to become the first Nigerian wrestler to pick a ticket to the games. She has now qualified for her third consecutive Olympic Games after appearing at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
WONDERFUL WEIGHTLIFTERS
Nigeria’s Weightlifters finished the 2023 African Weightlifting Championships with 12 medals made up of three gold, seven silver and two bronze medals in the championships held in Tunisia.
The two Nigeria’s Weightlifters, Rafiat Lawal and Adijat Adenike Olarinoye who competed in the women’s 59kg category won three gold and three silver medals respectively in Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Total. They both lifted 217kg and 211kg in that order. While the duo of Joy Ogbonne Eze and Edidiong Umofia bagged four more silver and two bronze medals at the competition that also doubles as the Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier in Women’s 71kg and Men’s 73kg.
Meanwhile, Nigeria consolidated her Olympic Games qualification aspirations as two lifters, Ayodele Ruth Imoleayo and Folashade Rafiatu Lawal made it into the top 10 positions in the IWF Championship.
GLORIOUS RETURN OF NIGERIAN BOXERS TO OLYMPICS
The Nigerian trio of Cynthia Ogunsemilore, Omole Dolapo and Olaore Olaoitan have qualified to represent Nigeria at the boxing event of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The trio achieved the feat after clinching gold medals in their respective weight divisions at the Olympics Africa Boxing qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.
Omole defeated Leta Fikremariyam Yadesa from Ethiopia in the men’s 57kg to win a gold medal and clinch the ticket.
In the men’s 92kg, Olaore won gold after out boxing Algeria’s Houmri Mohamed to earn another Olympic berth for Nigeria.
Similarly, Ogunsemilore beat Khelif Hadjila from Algeria in the women’s 60kg final to win gold.
ATHLETICS DROWN IN DOPING
Athletics which hitherto used to be Nigeria’s medal warehouse at international competition only dominated the headlines in 2023 with doping issues.
Apart from the ruse that was the doping charges against Tobi Amusan’s for missing three mandatory whereabouts test, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) handed Divine Oduduru, the Nigerian sprinter, a six-year ban for breaching two anti-doping rules. Also , Grace Nwokocha was given a three-year ban for using prohibited substances in October.
SENATOR ‘JOE’ REPLACES SUNDAY DARE AS MINISTER
Of course, how can we forget the appointment of Senator John Owan Enoh fondly called Senator JOE by admirers as the minister of Sports in August President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unveiled his cabinet.
Senator JOE replaced Sunday Dare to become the country’s 36th minister of sports. A farmer and philanthropist, Enoh has brought to bear an uncommon consultative approach to management in the hitherto troubled ministry and it goes without saying that he would be on the spot in 2024 as the country chase honours across all sports particularly at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Cote d’Ivoire between January 13 and February 11 as well as the Paris 2024 Olympics Games holding in France between July 26 and August 11.
