Team Nigeria has picked badminton star, Anuoluwapo Opeyori, as the country’s general captain to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which begins tomorrow with women’s football games.
 
Hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan has also been named as the country’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony, making her the first athletics star to be so honoured since Mary Onyali at the Athens 2004 Games.
 
Amusan is one of Nigeria’s brightest medal prospects in Paris.
 
Earlier this year, Amusan set a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (with a 0.9m/s wind), highlighting her impressive form heading into the Olympics. She narrowly edged out two-time world champion, Danielle Williams of Jamaica, who finished second with a time of 12.46 seconds.
 
Opeyori, on the other hand, is an experienced badminton player who has been representing Nigeria since 2017.
 
Nigeria will begin its campaign at the Games tomorrow when the women’s football team, the Super Falcons, take on Brazil in the opening Group C match, in Bordeaux, France.
 
The Nigerian contingent is in high spirits following its foreign training tour in Germany and Spain, as well as, the timely disbursement of foreign camping allowances.
 
Sports Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, yesterday, said that both domestic and foreign camping allowances have been disbursed to the athletes to ensure the athletes are well-prepared and motivated.
 
He pledged his ministry’s commitment to providing all necessary support to help the athletes excel on the global stage, adding: “Our athletes have shown incredible dedication and resilience, and we believe that they are ready to make the nation proud.”
 
Team Nigeria registered 88 athletes in 12 different sports for the Olympic Games.