D’Tigress’ Performance at Paris Olympics Highpoint of Nigeria’s Sports in 2024

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria is a ‘football-mad’ country. But one of the events that thrust the country into global attention in 2024 was not the Beautiful Game. Rather, it was basketball  that put Nigeria in the reckoning of the about five billion people around the world that watched the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on both terrestrial and pay television. 

According to a survey conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), more than half of the world’s population (about 84 per cent of the potential global audience), watched the Paris 2024 Games with the Olympic Basketball event, one of the most followed in the history of the quadrennial multi-sport fiesta. Nigeria’s national women’s basketball team, D’Tigress took the world by storm, rewriting the history of the sport. The ladies led by Coach Rena Wakama became the first African team (male or female) to qualify for the quarter­finals of the Olympic Games. That history was made with a resounding victory over Canada (79-70).

D’Tigress tipped off their campaign with a surprise 75-62 win over Australia. It was an epic performance from the African side as they recorded their first Olympic success in 20 years, as well as making history by coming out on top of a Group phase for the very first time. 

Of course, with this shocking defeat of world’s number three ranked Australia, hosts France had to dig deep to be able to conjure the defeat of these Nigerian amazons! The back-to-back Afrobasket champions again shocked world number five ranked Canada 79-70 to book a place in the quarter finals of the women’s basketball event of Paris 2024. With their pairing with United States of America in the quarter final, D’Tigress ranked 12th before coming to France, made powerful statement with their exploits at the Games. Before going out gallantly to Team USA, D’Tigress gave the Yankees, run never ever imagined from a supposed lowly African team! 

And so, it didn’t come as a surprise to basketball aficionados when D’Tigress Coach, Rena Wakama was selected as the Best Coach of the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament at Paris 2024.

Save for this performance, there was nothing else to celebrate by Team Nigeria at Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Although the country’s special athletes wiped our tears, winning seven medals — two gold, three silver, and two bronze, the performance of Folashade Oluwafemiayo in particular who set a new world record with a 166 kg lift in para-powerlifting, was reassuring of a continuous better tomorrow for the country’s special athletes. Another power lifter, Onyinyechi Mark, also won gold. Isau Ogunkunle and Flora Ugwunwa added to the medal haul, same as  Eniola Bolaji who clinched the bronze medal in para-Badminton.

But before the country’s trip to the summer games in France, the Super Eagles had set the ball rolling as early as February when the three-time African champions finished as the runners up to host Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023) in Abidjan.

Eagles started their campaign sluggishly  but scaled the group stage hurdles with former Portuguese coach, Jose Santos Peseiro in charge. They similarly survived the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon obstacle in the Round of 16 before Nigerians began to pay serious attention to what former boss Jose Peseiro, was doing with the boys in Abidjan. The quarter final clash with Angola was not different either before the Williams Troost-Ekong led squad defeated South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a nail-biting penalty shootouts in the semifinal. With a berth in the final against hosts Côte d’Ivoire, expectations were naturally high on the Nigerian side given the manner the host country fumbled before they were given the lifeline that ensured they made it to the final. Unfortunately, Super Eagles lost that final 2-1 to the Elephants for Nigeria to settle for another AFCON silver medal.

However, even if Nigeria did not win the coveted trophy, Ademola Lookman kicked off his quest to become the next King of African football from that edition in Abidjan. He scored spectacular goals and also went on to repeat same for club at Atalanta for the Italian Serie A side to emerge champions of the UEFA Europa League later in May. Lookman eventually replaced Victor Osimhen as CAF Player of the Year. He was the only African nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or where he ranked 14th globally.

The only blight for Super Eagles is their inability to kickoff their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Because of their slow start to the campaign, they are languishing in the fifth spot and now need to win all remaining site games to stand any chance of qualifying for the Mundial to be hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada. It is a tough call that may define 2025 for Nigerian football. After missing the last 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it will certainly break some hearts should Nigeria again fail to make the cut, back-to-back!

Speaking about Nigerian who scooped awards in the year under review,  Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, retained the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year after her heroics with Nigeria and Paris FC. She was also on the shortlist for the Women’s Player of the Year award category won by Zambia’s Barbara Banda.

Super Falcons were voted Women’s National Team of the Year while Edo Queens who made their debut in the CAF Women’s Champions League got a mention in the Club of the Year category eventually won by Congo DR’s TP Mazembe Ladies.

One traumatic experience Super Eagles players and their handlers will not forget in a hurry is their near-death situation in Libya mid October. The North Africans who inflicted unnecessary pains on their contingent, opting to fly into Port Harcourt and going to Uyo by road instead of direct flight to the Akwa Ibom capital, locked the Nigerian delegation in an abandoned airport outside of Benghazi. For nearly 20 hours, the Super Eagles players were without food or water while communication facilities were also cut off. It took the intervention of the Nigerian government before the siege was called off. In protest, Nigeria refused to play that Match day 4 fixture of the AFCON 2025 qualifier. CAF however awarded three points and three goals to the Eagles while Libya were fined for their misdemeanor.