SPORT

  By Eniola Olagunju     World record holder, Tobi Amusan, finished third in the women's 100 meters hurdles at the Diamond League opener in Shanghai on Saturday, 16th May, 2026. She recorded a season's best of 12.41 seconds in a race that pushed her schedule and her skills to the limit.     The Nigerian athlete had just left Ghana on Thursday after winning gold at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra. She arrived in Shanghai on Friday for the Diamond League meeting. Less than 48 hours later, she faced a tough competition that included the Olympic champion, the world champion, and the reigning world indoor champion.     Olympic champion Masai Russell delivered a strong performance, winning in a meeting record and world-leading time of 12.25 seconds. Bahamian Devynne Charlton, the reigning world indoor champion, took second place with a new national record of 12.38 seconds.     Amusan's 12.41 was a big improvement from the 12.84 ...

  By Eniola Olagunju  Nigeria's mixed 4x100m relay team produced the performance of the weekend at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, on Saturday, May 2, obliterating the African record and securing direct qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, even as other relay events painted a more complicated picture for the nation. The quartet of Favour Ashe, Jennifer Chukwuka-Obi, Chidera Ezeakor, and Maria Thompson delivered a composed and explosive performance in Heat 1 at the Sir Seretse Khama National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, clocking 40.24 seconds, a new African record and a stunning 1.20-second improvement on the continental mark they had set just two months ago. Nigeria were drawn in a fierce Heat 1 field that included Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, three of the most decorated sprint relay nations in the world but answered every challenge with precision and pace. Canada took the heat with a blistering 40.07 seconds, a...

Eniola Olagunju  Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has had enough, and she is no longer keeping it to herself. On April 9, the Real Madrid midfielder took to her Instagram story to publicly call out the Nigeria Football Federation over what she described as a disorganised and dangerously inadequate preparation for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Her frustration, shared in a series of posts, was not abstract. She put evidence behind it, a screenshot of what appeared to be an informal chat with an NFF official, through which she learned, without any formal communication, that the Super Falcons camp would open on April 11. Not a letter, not an official announcement, rather a chat message. Ajibade's grievance was straightforward. The April international window in women's football runs from April 7 to 18, and with WAFCON kicking off on July 26 in Morocco, every available window between now and then carries weight. Players needed to know when camp was opening. They ...

  Image credit: Sports247 Nigeria Eniola Olagunju   Nigeria has officially secured participation in the 2026 FIFAe Nations League, scheduled for February 25–26, 2026. This announcement by FIFA marks a notable development for Nigeria’s esports sector, with the country qualifying in all three competitive formats; eFootball (Console), eFootball (Mobile), and Rocket League. The Nigerian esports team earned its place following the release of the official list of qualified countries by FIFA. In the console division, Nigeria joins 114 other nations, while the mobile division will feature 81 countries and Rocket League will host 84. This positions Nigeria among a broad international field of esports competitors, demonstrating its ability to compete across multiple gaming platforms. In the eFootball (Console) category, the Nigerian team will participate in matches that follow standard FIFAe tournament rules, which include group-stage fixtures leading to knockout rounds. Similarly, in t...

Host Morocco Defeats Nigeria on Penalties to Reach AFCON Final By Eniola Olagunju  Morocco advanced to the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday night in Rabat after defeating Nigeria 4–2 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time in their semi-final encounter at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The match remained goalless across 120 minutes, with both teams producing disciplined defensive performances and limiting clear scoring opportunities. With neither side able to find a breakthrough in normal or extra time, the contest was decided by a penalty shootout, which Morocco won to secure qualification for the final. Match Context and Tactical Shape Morocco approached the game with an emphasis on possession and territorial control, circulating the ball across midfield and attempting to create openings through wide areas. Nigeria, by contrast, adopted a more compact structure, prioritising defensive organisation and seeking opportunities through direct transi...

 Lagos Makes History as Africa Hosts Its First E1 World Championship Race By Eniola Olagunju Lagos etched its name into the global sporting map over the weekend as it hosted Africa’s first-ever round of the UIM E1 World Championship, the world’s premier all-electric powerboat racing series. The two-day event, held on the Victoria Island Lagoon, drew several spectators and marked a new chapter for Nigeria in sustainable sports innovation. The Lagos Grand Prix, which ran from October 4 to 5, 2025, showcased the continent’s growing capacity to host world-class sporting events. The atmosphere along the Lagos waterways was electric as nine international teams competed in their futuristic “RaceBird” boats — hydrofoil-powered vessels designed to glide above the water at speeds of up to 90 km/h without emitting pollution or noise. Team Brazil, led by drivers Timmy Hansen and Ieva Millere-Hagin, emerged champions after a very competitive weekend performance. They won both qualifying and fin...