2010 Common Wealth Games - The Country to Compete in Seven Events

Nigeria will be fielding athletes in at least seven events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games which is to be staged in New Delhi in India.This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister of Sports and Chairman of National Sports Commission, Engineer Sani Ndanusa at the press briefing for the Queens's Baton Relay team due in Nigeria on December 18 in Abuja and Lagos.

The minister said Nigeria will field athletes in athletics, boxing, special sports, wrestling, weightlifting, table tennis and taekwondo which he said are Nigeria's strong areas.

Ndanusa maintained that Nigeria's target is to post the best African performance in the Games in New Delhi just as he said efforts are in top gear to ensure that Nigerian athletes are adequately prepared for the challenge ahead.

"In New Delhi Games, Nigeria's target is to post the best African performance in the Games. Towards this end, efforts are in top gear to ensure that Nigerian athletes are adequately prepared for the challenge.

"We will field athletes in Athletics, Boxing, Elites Athletes for Disabled, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Table Tennis and Taekwondo".

The minister also revealed that Nigerian athletes for the Games would go into closed camping in the first quarter of next year.

He said in February, all the athletes who have been training on their own within and outside the country would be brought together for foreign training camps that have been arranged for them.

The minister said sports federations have been be instructed to keep tab on their athletes so that when it is time for serious camping, there would not be any problem bringing them together.

"We have arranged training tours for the athletes. Earnest camping will start in February but we have alerted the sports federations to keep tab on their athletes. In addition, we have arranged series of national competitions to keep the athletes busy. In addition, we have lined up series of international competitions to expose the athletes who would represent the country at the Games".

Going down memory lane, Ndanusa said Nigeria's first appearance at the competitive level at the quadrennial event dates back to 1950 when Joshua Majekodunmi won the first medal for Nigeria in the high jump.

The minister noted that from that time, Nigeria has taken part in eleven Commonwealth Games and won medals with the highest number being in 1994 when she won 37 medals in Victoria, Canada.