Nigeria Secures Historic Olympic Beach Volleyball Ticket for Los Angeles 2028

Nigeria's beach volleyball duo, Esther Mbah and Pamela Bawa, have achieved a historic milestone by securing the country's first-ever ticket to the Olympic Games in beach volleyball for the Los Angeles 2028 edition. The pair clinched Africa's only available spot by defeating Morocco 2-0 in the final of the 2026 African Beach Volleyball Nations Championship held in Alexandria, Egypt.

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Congratulations to the Volleyball Federation. This is true Federation leadership in true collaboration with the NSC.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) lauded the achievement, with Director-General Bukola Olopade describing Mbah and Bawa as a "potential podium team." Olopade highlighted the successful synergy between the NSC and the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) in facilitating this historic feat, emphasizing the rapid growth of volleyball and beach volleyball in the country.

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The fast growth of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball is something I have been talking about for months. And they are a potential podium team at the Olympics.

NVBF President Musa Nimrod expressed his gratitude, noting that this qualification represents the culmination of a 16-year journey. Nigeria had reached the championship final on three previous occasions without success. Nimrod also extended thanks to the NSC and the Nigeria Customs Service for their support throughout the federation's long wait for this breakthrough, celebrating it as a victory for the entire nation.

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I wish to congratulate Nigerians and thank God. This is the fourth time we are going into the finals; we finished in second place on three occasions. God has done it for us on our fourth trial and given us victory. It is not the Nigeria Volleyball Federation’s success alone but the entire nation.