Nigeria Focuses on Athlete Welfare Ahead of Commonwealth Games

The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, has said that the welfare of Nigerian athletes is a top priority. Team Nigeria is preparing for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, according to The PUNCH.

The Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2. Nigeria plans to compete in 10 sports with a team of 74 athletes.

Team Nigeria hopes to do better than its performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. There, Nigeria finished as Africa’s top nation with a total of 35 medals: 12 gold, nine silver, and 14 bronze.

The athletes are currently training at the Aberdeen Sports Village in Scotland. They will spend three weeks there before heading to Glasgow for the Games.

As training started on Monday, many athletes praised the National Sports Commission for the quality of the camp. They are happy with the arrangements made for their preparation.

In a conversation with The PUNCH, Olopade said the focus is on giving athletes the best environment for training. He mentioned that their allowances for the pre-game and competition are being processed.

“At the heart of our strategy is the welfare of our athletes. We said the days of making our athletes feel inferior are gone. The days of making them feel hungry are gone, so they must be treated very well,” Olopade said.

He added, “The plan has taken us over one and a half years, and we must put them first. As we speak, their allowances are being processed for direct payments into their accounts.”

Olopade also noted that this athlete-focused approach is not just for the Commonwealth Games. It has become a major policy for the commission.

“It is not just for the Commonwealth Games; it is something we have been doing with individual sports. We have been telling the federations that they must continue to do so,” he said.