• Igali forecasts great outing at Commonwealth Games

All roads will lead to the Hertfordshire Games Village in London tomorrow for the historic Nigeria Diaspora Talents trials, a multi-sports event being handled by the Nigeria Diaspora Development Committee.

This will be a climax of an initiative by the National Sports Commission (NSC) aimed at strengthening the nation’s conveyor belt of talents, deploying the huge Nigerian talents based abroad.

The event, according to the NSC, will help the country to harvest the talents of Nigerian origin that were hitherto lost to other countries.

Former D’Tigresses captain Dr Sarah Ogoke has expressed delight at being part of the event.

Ogoke, the only African to win the Women Afrobasket five times, is a Vice-Chairman of the NDTDC. She is excited at the opportunity to give back to the country and sport that gave so much to her.

“It was an honour representing Nigeria. Wearing the green and white colours gave me so much pride and also increased my visibility globally. I will always be glad to support the growth of basketball in Nigeria. Our assignment is to let these players in the diaspora know that it pays to represent Nigeria.

“I am incredibly honoured and excited to lead the basketball initiative of the Team Nigeria Diaspora Committee. The London Showcase on the 17th is about much more than identifying talented players; it’s about building meaningful relationships with athletes and families across the diaspora and creating a clear pathway to represent Nigeria at the highest level.

“This is just the beginning. Our long-term vision is to establish a sustainable global network that discovers, develops, and supports world-class Nigerian talents, ensuring the future of Nigerian basketball remains among the very best in the world.”

According to the Media Officer, Clement Nwankpa, the event, holding from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., will feature exhibitions in basketball, football, athletics, taekwondo, netball, table tennis and golf.

Meanwhile, former World and Olympic wrestling champion, Daniel Igali, has expressed confidence in Team Nigeria’s chances of delivering an impressive performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, while applauding the NSC for prioritising athlete welfare ahead of the competition.

Igali, who is currently the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Sports, said the signs emerging from Team Nigeria’s camp point to a delegation that is well-positioned to compete for honours, largely because of the improved attention being given to athletes’ welfare and preparations

“From all the information available, I believe there are genuine reasons to be optimistic about Team Nigeria’s prospects at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Igali reserved special praise for the leadership of the NSC for creating an environment that allows athletes to focus solely on performance.

“One area I cannot fully assess from outside the technical setup is the quality of the preparation that preceded the final camp, because success at this level is built over many months through quality coaching, sound planning, sports science and consistent international competition,” he explained.

Igali identified athletics, weightlifting and para sports as Nigeria’s strongest medal prospects, while predicting that the boxing team could also spring surprises during the Games.

“Nigeria’s strongest medal prospects, in my view, lie in athletics, weightlifting and the para sports, which have consistently delivered for our country on the international stage. Boxing also has the potential to produce positive surprises. Weightlifting, in particular, has remained one of Nigeria’s most dependable medal-winning sports, and I will be following the team with special interest,” Igali stated.