In a matter of hours 2018 will belong to history and give way for 2019 a year packed with sporting action. What were the high points for Nigeria in 2018, check it out!
1. Super
Eagles qualification for the 2019 Nations cup even with a game to spare against
Seychelles in March 2019. After emerging champions in 2013 under late coach
Stephen Keshi the team went comatose failing to qualify back to back for the
2015 and 2017 editions.
So a return to the ring in 2019 is a relief and getting
the qualification without forcing soccer fans in the country to experience
hypertension first is tickling.
2. Super
Falcons clinching of their 9th title at the African Women Nations Cup in Ghana
and also qualifying for the FIFA Women's world cup billed for France in June.
The qualification for the world cup could be said to be a semi birth-right for
the team having been in every edition of the world cup since inception in
1991.So you could say it is like following the tradition. But their dominance
in Africa is not in doubt and they proved it once more by emerging champions in
Ghana.
3. Super
Sand Eagles qualification for the Beach world cup in Paraguay after finishing as
runners at the Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations in Egypt. Their qualification
some say came from the never say die attitude of the Nigerian as they did not
really prepare before heading to Egypt for the event. The lost to Senegal 6-1
in the final but picked a ticket to the world cup thus having an opportunity to
appear at the world stage for the fifth time having been there in 2006, 2007, 2009
and 2011.
4. Golden
Eaglets qualification for the African U-17 Nations cup in Tanzania where they
have been drawn against hosts Tanzania, Angola and Uganda in Group A. They stand a good chance of making it to the
semifinals to pick a ticket for the World Cup in Peru. Interestingly Nigeria
has won the world cup in this category a record five times, the last being the
2015 edition in Chile though the country failed to qualify for the 2017 edition
in India.
5. Return of
National Sports Festival: After six years in limbo the National Sports festival
made a comeback in Abuja with a private firm partnering with the ministry of
sports to make it happen. After the Eko
for show in 2012, Cross River was to take the baton, but that failed to
materialise with funds cited as the main problem. Its return perhaps should
mark a return indeed. Delta of course ruled
the event as usual even as the debate over the use of elite athletes continues.
Why should athletes who have competed in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and
etc, be participating in the National sports festival where the developmental
is and discover aspect of it all?
Should up
and coming athletes with practically no equipment to train be competing with
opponents training abroad and having the best of facilities? Does that look
like a level playing field? Anyway the return of NSF made the list with Edo to
host the 2020 edition.
6. Anthony
Joshua clinched the heavyweight unification bout against Joseph parker and has
since become a bride that everybody would want to fight. Although he had
predicted a knock out but nonetheless got the job by unanimous decision in
front of 80,000 spectators at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Should we be counting it, well success has many brothers and as a Nigerian born
British boxer we certainly have a stake in his progress.
7. NOC
Election took place recently with Engr Habu Gumel emerging its President. It is
not as if his election was the super melting point, but the election held with
rancour. It is usual here to fight after
elections.
8. The
qualification of Nigeria and Africa's first ever bobsled team for the winter
Olympics was indeed huge medal or no medal.
US-based trio of Seun Adigun, the team driver and leader, Akuoma Omeoga
and Ngozi Onwumere have qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,
South Korea, after completing the fifth of their five qualifying races. It was
a solo effort as Nigeria neither had a national team no a federation for the
sport before they came on stage.
9. The women
basketball team D'Tigeress, made it to the world cup in Spain and bowing out in
the quarterfinals after losing 71-40 to USA., and eventually finished in the 8th
place in the classification matches .The team cannot be said to have done badly
considering that the NBBF was engrossed in crisis for a greater part of the
year.No man goes in pursuit of rats when his house is on fire. Putting crisis
aside to do something is something.
10.
Nigeria's amputee football team took part for the first time in the Amputee world
cup in Mexico after three failed attempts due to financial constraints.
Even the trip to Mexico did not come easy a
lot of cajoling and begging had to be done before the money could be raised for
the Goodluck Obieze captained team could make it.
That they eventually made an
appearance is a huge plus and a boost to the players.
Some of the
dark spots of the year include NFF election crisis, the NBBF brouhaha and Super
Eagles poor run at the World cup in Russia after being voted team with the best
jersey as if the occasion was for fashion parade.
