Glasgow 2026: Olopade Backs Team Nigeria to Exceed Medal Projections

The Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon Bukola Olopade, has expressed confidence that Team Nigeria will surpass its medal projections at the ongoing Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Olopade said Nigeria’s campaign remained on course, pointing to Ruth Asuquo Nyong’s silver medal in the women’s 48kg weightlifting event as evidence that the country’s athletes were meeting and, in some cases, exceeding expectations.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Games, the NSC Director-General noted that Nyong had originally been projected to win a bronze medal but finished with silver.

“So far, so good. If the projections of the National Sports Commission Elite Board are anything to go by, then we are still on track because Ruth Nyong’s medal expectation was bronze and she won silver,” Olopade said.

“So, it is a progression rather than a downward movement.”

Olopade also expressed optimism about Nigeria’s prospects in athletics, revealing that the team was in high spirits ahead of its events.

“I was with the Athletics Team last night and the spirit is very high, and we are hoping seven to eight gold medals will come from them,” he said.

Beyond the medal projections, Olopade said he was particularly proud of the Nigerian athletes who had represented the country at the Games, describing their performances as evidence of the depth of talent available in Nigeria.

The NSC boss, who has worked closely with the athletes over the past 18 months, said the emerging sense of identity around Nigerian sports was itself a major achievement.

“I’m very proud of Nigerian young men and women that I have worked with in the last one and a half years. It is so obvious that as Nigerians, we have the well within us to stand firm and to be counted,” he said.

“I’m happy to hear that Nigerians are saying that, after a long time, they are beginning to see an identity in our sports. That itself, for me, is a gold.”

Olopade further explained that the Commission’s emphasis on athletes’ welfare was deliberate and rooted in the belief that proper care and recognition could significantly improve performance.

He said both himself and NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko understood the importance of athlete welfare from their previous experiences in sports administration.

“Let me make it very clear that when we said that our athletes’ welfare is the number one priority, it is because Mallam Shehu Dikko and myself knew where we were coming from,” Olopade said.

He recalled his tenure as Commissioner for Sports in Ogun State, where he said improved attention to athletes’ welfare and motivation contributed to the state’s rise from 19th to second position at national sports competitions within four to five years.

According to him, athletes could easily become demoralised when their sacrifices were not matched by adequate recognition, support and rewards.

“What happened was that day in, day out, athletes go out to sweat and work very hard, but they will get demoralised when they don’t feel that they are respected or acknowledged for their efforts,” he said.

Olopade stressed that while patriotism remained an important motivation for athletes, reward and welfare were equally necessary to encourage them to give their best.

He said the NSC had therefore made deliberate efforts to ensure that Team Nigeria athletes were adequately supported and cared for throughout their preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

“Yes, it is about patriotism. It is also about reward, looking after one another,” he said.

“And like I said to them, we have done our bit, we have looked after you beyond your imagination. Nigerians have looked after you and are expecting you to do your best and make the country proud.”

With Team Nigeria continuing its campaign in Glasgow, Olopade said the Commission remained hopeful that the athletes would respond to the support they had received by delivering strong performances and further increasing Nigeria’s medal tally.

He also maintained that the emerging confidence in Team Nigeria and the renewed belief among Nigerians in the country’s sporting potential were achievements that went beyond the medal table.