Igali Gets International Wrestling Federation’s Appointment

President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Honourable Daniel Igali has been appointed as a member of the Technical Commission of the International Wrestling Federation otherwise known as the United World Wrestling (UWW).

The UWW is the international governing body for amateur wrestling and its duties include overseeing wrestling at the Olympics.

An elated Igali said he was informed of the appointment on Wednesday and he would serve for a period of three years between 2017 and 2020, saying the appointment would be an opportunity to contribute once again to the sport at the highest level.

Igali has paid his dues several times over to wrestling and he captained the Nigerian wrestling team to the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada but became a sensation on the mat after acquiring the Canadian citizenship in 1998.

In the colours of his adopted country (Canada), Igali won 116 consecutive matches wrestling at Simon Fraser University from 1997 to 1999. He placed fourth at the 1998 world championships and finished second at the 1998 World Cup and won a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games.

At the 2000 Summer, Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Igali won a gold medal in the Men’s 69 kg freestyle wrestling and also the gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, in the Men’s 74 kg freestyle wrestling.

In 1998, he was fourth at the World Championships and second at the World Cup. He became a citizen in 1998. He was the first Canadian to win the world championship. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012.

On the home turf, he’s the Chairman, House Committee on Sports in the Bayelsa state House of Assembly; and doubles as the Chairman, Nigeria Olympic Technical Committee.