Nigeria Set For Special Olympics: A Sneak Peek

If you are looking forward to the Special Olympics, and are rooting for the Nigerian team, here is some news – they are ready!

Nigeria, if you didn’t know, will be one of the few African countries that will be participating in the 15th edition of the Special Olympics World Summer Games. The state has been competing in the specialized Olympics for the past few years, but 2019 might be different for them.

About the Nigerian Team

Nigeria is surely going to give a tough competition to others this time around. The country will be represented with a delegation of 86  people. This includes 60 athletes and 26 officials who will travel to the UAE from March 14 until 21st. The athletes will take part in only eight games: football, badminton, basketball, swimming, cycling, volleyball and table tennis.  The team has high hopes of returning with some medals from the competition which takes place every two years.

During the 2017 Special Sports Olympics Games which took place in Austria, Nigeria was represented by a total of 22 athletes. There is an increase in the number of athletes this year; thus the team is optimistic that they will perform better in this year’s edition.

The team has been facing some challenges in terms of training equipment. The Special squad might not be well known as the Super Eagles which is the men’s national football team, but they have been making the country proud. The team has continuously been appealing to donors and sponsors to come to their aid so that training can become more comfortable for them.

Luckily, the Nigerian team has been receiving help from various corporate sponsors who have been providing special facilities. For instance, Max International is the latest company which sponsored the team with eye and dental equipment.

About the Special Sports Olympics Games

2019 will be the 15th edition of the Special Olympics which will be held in Abu Dhabi. The Special Olympics which began on July 20, 1962, have been growing in the number of athletes who participate in it.  The competition which takes place every two years is the most significant competition in the world for both adults and children living with a disability.

It is estimated that race unifies 5 million people from 172 countries. However, the event takes place almost every day locally, nationally, internationally or geographically; thus there are over 100,00 events which take place.

In this year’s edition, it is expected that the event will be more unified than ever. This is because there are new entrants who will be participating in the competition. For instance, in Africa there 11 new entrants who will grace the competition. They include Madagascar, Niger, South Sudan, Chad, Congo, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Cape Verde, Burundi, Mozambique, and Equatorial Guinea. It is estimated that 7000 athletes will be hosted in Abu Dhabi, so Nigeria has a long journey ahead of it. Let us know what you think about the Special Olympics.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *