Nigeria Olympic Committee to celebrate Olympic Day on 29 June
Olympic Day, which commemorates the birth of the modern Olympic movement founded by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, is celebrated by all National Olympic Committees around the world. In Nigeria, they hope this year’s celebration will be “different and special” due to the proximity of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“NOC General Secretary Babatunde Popoola was quoted by the Punch newspaper as saying, “Olympic Day is an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to experience the magic of the Olympic Games in their own communities.”
On 29 June, all National Committees will be out in force in celebration of this Olympic day, which is unanimously celebrated on the 29th of June. In Nigeria, they understand that this year is “different and special” because of the proximity of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Nigerian National Committee has been influenced by the intent and good work of each state that has proposed its plans to achieve the most global celebration possible. Over 20 states have joined the initiative.
The states officially involved are Edo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Lagos, Kogi, Gombe, Rivers, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kano, Kwara, Taraba, Imo, Ondo, Plateau, Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta and Osun.
The event will be a tool for unity. Therefore, some performances are scheduled at the National Stadium Complex, where the general public is gearing up to participate actively in the event. The President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engr. Habu Ahmed Gumel, is scheduled to inaugurate the day in Abuja.
Nigeria’s journey in the Olympic Games spans 17 editions of the Summer Olympic Games, with their first appearance in Helsinki 1952. The country has won a total of 27 medals in the Summer editions: 3 gold, 11 silver, and 13 bronze.
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In the Winter Olympic Games, Nigeria has participated in 2 editions, with Pyeongchang 2018 being their first appearance in these Games. The country has not won any medals in the Winter editions.
Indeed, it was in Pyeongchang 2018 where Nigeria achieved several milestones that will surely be remembered on Olympic Day on 29 June. For instance, the participation of Nigerian athletes in the curling event, an unprecedented feat in African Olympic sport. This was seen as the beginning of something that has continued to grow.
Nigeria competed in the mixed team and mixed doubles categories at the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games in South Korea, demonstrating progress in a discipline that is, understandably, far from being a national sport.
Nigerian athletes have won a total of 23 medals, most in athletics, where they are a global power, and boxing. The national football team won the gold medal in 1996, another historic milestone. Many players from that team went on to make significant careers in European football.
