There’s been an ongoing stream of wins in African sports and in recent times, Africa has enjoyed global recognition and accolades for the stellar performances of its young athletes. Some exciting achievements are:&nbsp;

This undeniable rise in the number of African stars on international fields is so obvious, isn’t it?

&nbsp;Among other countries, the numerous Nigerians making the continent proud in athletics signifies progress in Nigeria’s sporting sector. It has served to boost a national interest in charting viable courses for young, aspiring Nigerian athletes through coaching and player development. Now, there are several more private sponsorships and grassroots programmes going on to scout the underdogs than there were some five years ago, like the Junior Adamu Scouting Tournament and Turf Season. The government is also more attuned to partnering with international agencies to host events like the maiden<a href="https://thenationonlineng.net/world-athletics-maiden-africa-running-conference-to-hold-in-lagos/"> Africa Running Conference</a>, which was held in Lagos on the 22nd of October, 2025.

However, despite these encouraging strides, Nigeria’s sports sector continues to battle a lack of funding and infrastructure. The Nigerian Athletics Federation and other sporting bodies often operate on limited budgets, leaving athletes without access to consistent training facilities, modern equipment, and international exposure. Just like everything else in life, this inadequate provision of support for athletes is not without consequences. In extreme cases, it eventually works against the nation by driving the young sportsmen to switch allegiance to other countries that are better disposed to support their careers. One widely-known example of such is Favour Ofili, a talented sprinter who trained in Nigeria but missed competing in Tokyo during the 2020 Olympics due to administrative errors by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria in her registration process.&nbsp;

Clearly, talent has never been Nigeria’s problem; sustenance has. So, even as Africa continues to compete on the global stage, the question isn’t whether or not this generation of Nigerian athletes can keep up, but whether our country can provide the support necessary to elongate our relevance among other African countries.

It’s a new dawn for African athletes with Nigeria in the spotlight. Can the nation scale to the top, or will we sink to the bottom? 


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