By By Ajide Muminat
Despite sending 88 athletes to compete across 12 games, Nigeria remains without a medal in all 12 games at the 2024 Olympics competition
Athletics holds the largest contingent with 32 athletes, comprising 18 men and 18 women.
Football follows with an 18-woman squad and basketball with 12 players.
However, the journey was marked by challenges as Nigeria faced defeat in all 12 games across disciplines ranging from basketball to athletics,
Below is the list of the games Nigerians participated in
1. Basketball
The team played three games and won against Australia and Canada but lost to France. Despite the mixed results, they managed to finish 3rd in their group. They progressed to the quarterfinals but were defeated by the United States, which prevented them from advancing to the semifinals
However, team USA will play for an eighth straight Olympic gold medal and tenth overall on Sunday against France
2. Football
The Super Falcons played three matches in the group stage of the tournament. They faced Brazil, Spain, and Japan and lost all three matches in the group stage. However, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) has been crowned women’s Olympic football champions at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
3. Swimming
Nigeria sent two swimmers, Tobi Sijuade and Adaku Nwandu, to compete in the 50-meter freestyle events at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both athletes participated in the heats of their respective events but did not qualify to advance further to the semifinals or finals based on their ranks in the heats. However, USA’s Bobby Finke breaks 12-year-old record to win second straight Olympic gold medal in the men’s 1,500m freestyle
4. Table Tennis
Nigeria entered four table tennis players into the 2024 Paris Olympics: Quadri Aruna, Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem, and Fatimo Bello. Quadri Aruna qualified as the highest-ranked African table tennis player and Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem, and Fatimo Bello qualified through their performances at the 2024 African Qualification Tournament in Kigali, Rwanda.
None of the Nigerian players advanced past the round of 16 in their respective singles events at the Olympics. Fan Zhendong from China won the Olympic gold in this category
5. Taekwondo
Elizabeth Anyanacho was the only one who qualified to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning in the semifinal round of the 2024 African Qualification Tournament in Dakar, Senegal the Round of 16 she Faced Song Jie from China and Lost with a score of 0-2 against Song Jie she Did not advance further after losing in the round of 16. Hungary’s Viviana Marton came out on top of the women’s -67kg final to clinch Olympic gold
6. Athletics
Nigerian athletes competed across a range of track and field events at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Some athletes achieved notable performances, such as Favour Ashe, Tobi Amusan, and the Women’s 4 × 100 meters relay team, while others faced challenges in advancing beyond initial rounds. Field event participants like favor Ofili achieved respective finishes, who finished with a season’s best of 22.05s, falling behind St Lucia’s Julien Alfred – the 100m champion – who crossed the line in a time of 21.98s.
7. Badminton
Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori
Opeyori played two matches in the group stage.
Against Li from China, he lost both sets with a score of 0–2 Also, Against Künzi from Switzerland, he lost both sets with a score of 0–2.
He ranked 3rd in his group based on the outcomes of these matches. Viktor Axelsen from Denmark was the 2024 Olympic badminton champion
8. Wrestling
Nigeria had wrestlers competing in various weight categories at the event. Results varied from wins to losses in different rounds, with Blessing Oborududu achieving the highest ranking of 5th place in the Women’s −68 kg category. Overall, some athletes progressed to quarterfinals and beyond, 
while others did not advance past the initial rounds in their respective events.
9. Field events
In track and field events at the 2024 Olympics. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi came 6th place finish in the men’s shot put, while Ruth Usoro, Ese Brume, and Prestina Ochonogor represented Nigeria in the women’s long jump.
Despite their efforts, athletes like Chinecherem Nnamdi and Temitope Adeshina did not advance past the qualifying rounds in the javelin throw and high jump respectively.
The women’s discus throwers, including Obiageri Amaechi, Ashley Anumba, and Chioma Onyekwere, also competed but did not progress to the final stages.
10. Canoeing
Ayomide Bello and Beauty Otudeo qualified for the Olympics by winning the gold medal in the C-2 500 meters event at the 2023 African Olympic Qualification in Abuja, Nigeria. In the heats and quarterfinals at the Olympics, they ranked 6th in both rounds.
11. Cycling
Road Race: Ese Ukpeseraye qualified for the women’s road race by finishing in the top two at the 2023 African Championships.
However, she did not finish the race at the Olympics.
Sprint: In the women’s sprint, she ranked 28th in the qualification round and did not progress to the next rounds.
Keirin: In the women’s keirin, she advanced to the repechage after finishing 6th in the first round but did not advance beyond the quarterfinals.
12. Weightlifting
Nigeria entered two weightlifters into the Olympic competition: Rafiatu Lawal in the women’s -59 kg category and Joy Ogbonne Eze in the women’s -71 kg category. Both athletes secured their spots based on their rankings in the IWF Olympic Qualification Rankings. Rafiatu Lawal finished 5th overall with a total lift of 230 kg, while Joy Ogbonne Eze finished 7th overall with a total lift of 232 kg.
