Nigerian Military delegation to the Invictus Games 2025 which held in Vancouver, Canada, has returned to Nigeria with six medals despite visa denial to the rest of the contigent by the Canadian High Commission.
The athletes are personnel who were injured on the battlefield while defending the country.
The team was welcomed at Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja on Wednesday by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, and other top military echelons.
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and retired.
Speaking shortly after they were ushered in, the Director of Sports at Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Nanjuly Kumzhi, disclosed that the Nigeria team is the first and the only African country that participated in the games in Canada.
He added that they would also participate in the next games billed to hold at Birmingham in 2027.
The senior military officer, however, lamented the visa denial by the Canada High Commission in Abuja, saying out of 25-man team that was invited, only 14 were granted visas.
He explained that the team was initially demoralised because the team captain, physiotherapist and other important persons that were supposed to be part of the trip, were denied visas.
AVM Kumzhi disclosed that the team finally won different medals, including one gold medal, one silver medal, four bronze medals, in different sports they participated in.
“Despite the unfair treatment meted out on us by the embassy, we were still able to come out in flying colours and we came home with six medals during the game,” he stated.
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