British envoy hails Nigeria’s 24-medal haul at Commonwealth Games

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, lauded Team Nigeria's exceptional performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He described the country's achievement of securing 24 medals as a "huge achievement" during a reception hosted by the British High Commission to celebrate the athletes.

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Amazing achievements in these games and as we hoped actually at the British High Commission here you excelled yourself. I understand there are about 200 medallists in the whole Commonwealth Games and you secured 24 of them.

Nigeria finished seventh overall in the Games, emerging as Africa's highest-ranked nation. Their medal tally included 10 gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals. Montgomery highlighted that out of approximately 200 medallists across the Commonwealth Games, Nigeria secured 24. He noted that Nigeria outperformed many nations with greater resources, despite competing against over 74 represented countries and territories.

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You emerged two of the top ranked African nations but you also beat many other that are much better resourced. There were over 74 countries and territories represented in the games so it’s such a huge achievement and you’ve done a fantastic job and you’ve made your country proud.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, expressed gratitude to the British High Commission for its support, particularly for the prompt issuance of visas that enabled the Nigerian delegation's participation. He described the Games as "highly successful" for Nigeria, emphasizing that the country won 10 of the 22 gold medals claimed by African nations. Dikko also revealed that Nigerian athletes set three of the six world records established during the Games and broke several other competition and national records.

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On behalf of myself and the government of Nigeria, the people of Nigeria, I sincerely thank the British High Commission for hosting Nigeria Olympians this evening and for the exceptional support extended to our delegation, particularly the prompt issuance of our visas that enable our athletes, officials and delegates to participate in the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Looking ahead, Nigeria is being positioned to host the 2034 Commonwealth Games, a bid that has garnered support from other African countries. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Mohammed Baba Abdullahi, and the Nigeria team captain, Oluwafemi Ayo Fonoshade, also conveyed their appreciation for the team's success and the support received.

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Indeed, the games were highly successful for Nigeria. Team Nigeria finished as Africa’s highest-ranked nation, 7th overall, winning 24 medals comprising 10 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze.