Okagbare is Flag Bearer for Team Nigeria as XXI Commonwealth Games Begin
Double sprint champion at Glasgow 2014, Blessing Okagbare- Ighoteguonor, has been listed to be Team Nigeria’s Flag Bearer at the opening ceremony of the XXI Commonwealth Games today inside the Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia from 7pm.
The 2018 Games are scheduled to take place between April 4 and April 15 with more than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations and territories competing for the 275 gold medals at stake. There will be the same number of men and women’s medal events for the first time at a major multi-sport event.
Okagbare who last week erased Mary Onyali-Omagbemi’s 22-year old 200m African record at an invitational Meet in the USA, is however not going to defend the 100m and 200m gold medals she won in Scotland four years ago in Gold Coast.
THISDAY learnt at the weekend that pressure is being mounted on the Sapele-born sprinter to help Team Nigeria to podium placement in the two events.
Okagbare had earlier told her acquaintances that she was going to Australia to compete in only the 4x100m relay event.
Track & field aficionados believe the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) graduate took the decision of not competing in the 100m and 200m events as ways of getting back at Nigerian sports authorities who abandoned her to her fate when she got injured before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Each Team Nigeria athlete who made podium appearance has been promised $5,000 for gold medal while Silver medal winner will smile home with $3,000. Bronze medalists will get $2000 each.
Organisers of the XXI Commonwealth Games officially held a welcome ceremony for Team Nigeria at the Games Village on Tuesday.
Teams’ arrival at the Village is not officially acknowledged until a Welcome Ceremony is held for the various contingents. The athletes were entertained by a dance troupe from the Munujali tribe.
Preceding the performance, athletes watched from the sideline as the Nigerian flag was raised and the national anthem sung.
A commemorative indigenous shield was presented to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, while Team Nigeria in return presented the talking drum to their hosts.
Dalung expressed delight in the ceremony which brought together all participating athletes.
“What we have seen here today basically is to express the bond of friendship which exists amongst athletes. The spirit of togetherness expressed by people who have just met themselves for the first time here suggests the fact that the bond is very strong.
“I think that the Commonwealth needs to go back to its initial concept of investing in youth development, providing scholarships and according opportunities to young people to travel across the Commonwealth,” observed Dalung.
On his expectations on Nigeria’s performance at the Games, the Minister said he hoped Team Nigeria will exceed its previous performance.
Also at the Games village to encourage the athletes were the past and present Presidents of the Nigeria Olympic Committee Sani Ndanusa and Habu Gumel, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Olusade Adesola, as well as the Nigerian Ambassador to Australia, Mr Bello Kazaure Husseini.
90 athletes are representing Team Nigeria at the 2018 Games in Australia. The 10 sports Nigerian athletes are to take part include; Athletics, Basketball, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Boxing, Table tennis, Gymnastics, Para Table-tennis, Para-athletics, Para- powerlifting. Team Nigeria placed eight with 11 gold 11 silver and 14 bronze medals at the Glasgow 2014 Games.
Gold Coast 2018 also includes the largest ever programme of disability sport at a Commonwealth Games. Basketball returns to the roster of sports, with judo dropped in favour of beach volleyball.