Get Guardian on GoogleNSC, International Volleyball Federation enter historic partnership
As the search for medals continues at the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olapade, has urged Nigerian athletes to focus on building formidable careers for themselves rather than chase medals at all costs.
Olapade’s message to the young athletes came a few minutes after table tennis star Matthew Kuti recorded his first victory at the Games, defeating Tunisia’s Youssef Aidli 3-1 in a men’s singles preliminary match after losing his opening game 3-0 to Hong Kong’s Ho Ki Li.
Kuti was one win away from securing a place in the round of 16 as he faced Italy’s Francesco Travesan late yesterday, hoping to grab a second victory to strengthen his progress to the knockout stage.
Olopade, who met with Nigerian athletes and their officials at the Games Village in Dakar, said: “I charge you all to be worthy ambassadors in this Youth Olympics. You must know that the essence of this tournament is exposure and capacity building, as well as helping you gain international experience ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. We will appreciate it if the medals come your way here in Dakar, but I don’t want anyone to put you under undue pressure to win medals at all costs,” he said.
Turning to the team captain, Rosemary Nwankwo, Olopade said: “Being the captain of the team, I won’t be surprised if you finish on the podium due to the experience you have garnered at the World Relay, in Botswana as well as the African Senior Athletic Championships in Ghana.”
Meanwhile, the NSC has recorded a breakthrough in the development of volleyball in Nigeria following a meeting in Dakar with the International Volleyball Federation, the world governing body for the sport.
The meeting, which was held in a spirit of mutual respect and shared ambition, culminated in a firm commitment from the FIVB to provide comprehensive technical support, funding and coaching expertise to fast-track the growth of both beach volleyball and Indoor volleyball in Nigeria.
According to the NSC, the partnership is strategically designed to strengthen the entire volleyball ecosystem in the country, from grassroots participation and talent identification to elite performance, coaching education, refereeing standards, and competition structure.
The FIVB’s intervention is therefore timely, as it will build on that momentum and provide the structured support needed to sustain and surpass that success.
Speaking after the meeting, NSC’s Director General, Olopade, expressed profound appreciation to the FIVB for recognising Nigeria as one of the greatest in the game.
“The meeting is quite productive. What a fruitful deliberation with the International Volleyball Federation. It gladdens my heart to know that international volleyball has seen Nigeria as one of the greatest in the game. They have offered technical support, funding, coaching and other resources that can aid the development of volleyball in Nigeria,” he said.
“Nigeria has qualified for the Olympics in Los Angeles, and with this, we will keep discovering talent; we will not relent in our efforts,” he said.
