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Despite being let down severally by the Nigerian Government, especially in the areas of funding, planning and general support, we still believe in the abilities of the athletes representing us. Here are the top stars we think will win big in Rio.
1. Dream Team VI member, Oghenekaro Etebo.
Etebo made us super proud when he scored 4 out of 5 goals in our U-23 game against Japan.
2. Olympic and World Championship medalist, Blessing Okagbare.
Okagbare will represent us in both track events and long jump.
3. Champion tennis player, Aruna Qadri.
Quadri has set a record as the first African to make it to the Table Tennis Quarter Finals at the Olympics.
4. Odunayo Adekuoroye, freestyle wrestling champion.
She won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and a bronze at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships.
Shane plays center position for FC Barcelona Lassa, and is a great addition to the Nigerian team for the Men’s Tournament at the Olympics.
6. Track and field athlete, Margaret Bamgbose.
Bamgbose was the lead for Team Nigeria’s relay race at the World Indoor Championships in Portland this year, and will represent Nigeria in the 400m Women’s Race.
7. American-born athlete, Miles Ukaoma.
He competed in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and will represent Nigerian in the 400m Men’s Hurdle.
8. Champion sprinter, Gloria Asunmu.
Asunmu represented Nigeria in the 2014 IAAF relays, 2015 World Championships in Beijing and the 2016 African Championships in South Africa. She will represent Nigeria in the Women’s 100m and 4 by 100m relay race.
9. U-23 footballer, Umar Sadiq.
Sadiq who is also a forward for football club A.S Roma, scored Nigeria’s first goal in the game against Japan, and we look forward to all the amazing things this 19-year-old will do in Rio.
10. John Mikel Obi, professional footballer.
Mikel is a regular on the Nigerian national football team, and also a mid-fielder for English football club Chelsea. He is the captain of the Dream Team VI, and so far has led the team to win against Sweden and Japan.
In case you missed it, the Super Eagles Under-23 Team has clinched its first victory at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, despite some serious glitches.
Even after Olivia the Parrot (soccer psychic) predicted a Japan win, the U-23 team beat Japan 5-4, bringing Nigeria her first win at Rio 2016.
This victory comes as a big surprise, considering the incredible amount of stress the U-23 team members went through just hours before the match.
The Nigerian sports ministry, ever so organized, somehow had the team stranded in Atlanta, USA. The team missed a flight last Friday due to a communications mix-up.
Another flight was booked for Wednesday this week, but unfortunately could not transport all the team members at once.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung while addressing the cause for the delay implied that the government was not responsible for it.
"@Ayodeji_13: Ladies and Gentlemen , Meet Solomon Dalung, United States of Nigeria"s Youth and Sports Dev. Minister. https://t.co/vUPfp4MQfD
Planning and logistics for the team is the direct responsibility of the Nigerian Football Federation, but would it hurt if the sports minister showed some concern?
Delta Airlines had to come to our rescue. General Manager, Mike Lowry, and his team prepped a plane in time for an early flight to Manaus, 6 hours before the game, FREE OF CHARGE!
The drama did not end there. A wrong National Anthem was mistakenly played before the match.
Even after that experience, Oghenekharo Etebo scored 4 goals in a single match! That was after Sadiq Umar scored a goal in the first 7 minutes of the game.
We just want to thank the Nigerian Government, especially the Honorable Minister for Sports, Solomon Dalung, for all the support they’ve shown the Dream Team VI so far.
In fact, the way our government is treating Nigerian Athletes representing us at Rio 2016 is too wonderful! Continue!
Against all odds, we see our team is ever ready. According to Team Captain Mikel Obi: “We may be tired and frustrated, but we’re all still together and ready to win gold in Rio.”
Nigerian Athletes, please continue with the good work o! We wish you all another amazing Atlanta ’96 win!
