It is really an awesome thing to be a Nigerian and to be sincere, I really think others are missing out just because they are not Nigerians. In the year 1960, a nation broke forth from the wilds of colonization to become a full nation free from external influences and control. Nigeria the pride of Africa, the Giant of Africa, the city of the eagles, the home of the legends. All hail Nigeria.
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Nigeria has been home to a number of ancient and indigenous pre-colonial states and kingdoms over the millennia. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world, with an estimated number of 206 million inhabitants as of late 2019.
There are amazing archives to the Nigerian sport association. According to officials in May 2010 FIFA World Rankings for Nigeria was that Nigeria is the second top-ranked football nation in Africa and off course the 21st highest in the world. Although that is not the best they can, we still have hope that Nigeria will get up to the challenge to becoming the 1st top ranking nation of the world in Sports.
Brief History of Sport in Nigeria
Though sport was always viewed as exercised, Nigerian sports was noted first in the 1950s. Nigeria had her first appearance in the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, and her first victory was in 1954, when Emmanuel Ifeanjuna won a gold medal in the high jump at the Commonwealth competition in Cardiff.
The first ever National Sports Council in Nigeria was set up in 1962 followed by the National Sport Commission in 1970 with the following responsibility:
- To coordinate and integrate efforts to raise the standard of performance in sports in Nigeria.
- To encourage the development, organization and participation of sports in Nigeria. Just to mention a few.
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Nigeria has made its mark in global sports competition. Below is a list of the victories won in Nigeria and their winners outside Nigeria off course.
1954 Emmanuel Ifeanjuna won a gold medal in the high jump at the
Commonwealth Games in Cardiff.
1962 1st All African Games: Karimu Young won a gold medal in the 51kg
class in Cairo1964 Nojim Maiyegun won a bronze medal in the
71kg class in the Olympics in Tokyo
1966 A. Andeh, Lightweight Commonwealth Games, Boxing Ndukwu, Bantamweight, Commonwealth Games, Boxing. And lots more.
In football we have:
Kano nwankwo
Jeje okocha
Victor moses
Victor anichebe
Joseph yobo
Nigeria has been six times champions of the Fifa u-17 world cup.