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Nigeria Olympic Committee’s spokesperson, Tony Nezianya, announced in a statement on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, that African badminton king, Anuoluwapo Opeyori, would captain team Nigeria, while Amusan bears the flag. With this, Tobi Amusan, 27, becomes the first track and field athlete in 20 years to bear the Nigerian flag in the Olympics since Mary Onyali in 2004 during the Athens Olympics in Greece. Amusan, who holds the record in world women’s 100m hurdles, is one of Nigeria’s brightest prospects at the global showpiece. She will be aiming to add an Olympic medal to her rich medal cabinet after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
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Amusan won the world championship in 2022. She has also won numerous Diamond League titles and Commonwealth Games gold medals but has yet to win an Olympic medal. Team Nigeria captain Opeyori has been representing the country since 2017 and is highly experienced. At 26, Opeyori is the reigning men’s badminton singles event champion at the African Championships and African Games. He also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan.
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The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will officially commence on July 26, 2024. Nigeria will compete in 12 sports and will be represented by 86 athletes.
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