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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

No excuses: Team Nigeria fired up by world-class Commonwealth Games camp

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Team Nigeria athletes are confident ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games after training at a world-class camp in Aberdeen, Scotland.
  • Athletes praised the facilities, stating there are no excuses for failure due to the high-quality equipment and international standards.
  • The Nigerian contingent will compete in 10 sports with a 74-member team, aiming to make the country proud.

Team Nigeria athletes are expressing strong confidence and eliminating excuses as they finalize preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The athletes are currently at a world-class training camp at the Aberdeen Sports Village in Scotland, which they describe as one of the best they have experienced.

Captain Folashade Oluwafemiayo, a Paralympic champion, highlighted the excellent equipment available, stating, "There is no excuse for failure because the equipment is very good for our training." She believes the team will make Nigeria proud.

There is no excuse for failure because the equipment is very good for our training. This is one of the best training camps we have been to and I believe with this, we are going to make Nigeria proud.

— Folashade OluwafemiayoTeam Nigeria captain and Paralympic champion, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, praised the training facilities.

The Aberdeen Sports Village offers internationally accredited facilities, including a World Athletics-accredited track, a UK Athletics-accredited indoor centre, an Olympic-standard aquatics centre, and a high-performance gymnasium. These facilities are designed to support elite athletes.

Aberdeen Sports Village offers facilities that meet the highest international standards, and we are confident our athletes will make the most of this final preparation period. We remain optimistic about Team Nigeria’s prospects in Glasgow and wish every athlete an injury-free and successful campaign.

— Bukola OlopadeDirector-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, commented on the choice of training venue.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, confirmed the decision to use the Aberdeen facility was to provide the best possible environment. "Aberdeen Sports Village offers facilities that meet the highest international standards, and we are confident our athletes will make the most of this final preparation period," Olopade stated, expressing optimism for Team Nigeria's prospects.

Other athletes, like wheelchair basketball captain Ijigbamigbe Gbemisola, feel the quality of preparation has boosted their belief, even as underdogs. "We are ready to prove critics wrong. We are the underdogs, but now we are coming out on top," she said. Multiple weightlifting medallist Edidiong Joseph also hopes the improved preparations will help her surpass her previous bronze medal achievement.

We are ready to prove critics wrong. We are the underdogs, but now we are coming out on top.

— Ijigbamigbe GbemisolaCaptain of Nigeria’s wheelchair basketball team, Ijigbamigbe Gbemisola, expressed confidence despite the team being considered underdogs.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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