Glasgow Commonwealth games begins today, 127 Nigerian athletes to participate

The 20^th commonwealth Games starts today in Glasgow, Scotland. Thousands of athletes around the world will compete for honours from July 23 to Aug. 3, 2014.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary intergovernmental association of 53 member states, almost all of which were formerly ruled by Britain, directly or indirectly.

Therefore, the group encompasses nations from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.

Nigeria is part of the games. A total number of 127 athletes (65 male and 62 female) will represent Nigeria in eight sports – Athletics, Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Para Athletics and Para Power lifting. 

Athletics has 46 athletes (22 male, 24 female), followed by Weightlifting with 16 athletes (8 male, 7 female).

Shooting has 15 athletes (9 male and 7 female), while wrestling will be represented by 14 athletes (7male, 7female).

Further breakdown shows Boxing to be presenting 11 athletes (8 male, 3 female) with Table Tennis having 10 athletes (5 male, 5 female). 

Para Athletics has 9 athletes (3 male, 6 female), while Para-Power lifting presented the least with 6 athletes (3 male, 3 female).

In 2010 at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Nigeria amassed a total of 33 medals including 11 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze medals, finishing in 9th position.

In the Commonwealth Games, dubbed the third largest in the world, only after the Olympics and the Asian Games, more than 4,900 athletes from 71 nations will compete in 17 sports.

The sports include; aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey judo, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, table tennis, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.

Thirty five per cent of countries participating in this year’s games are from Africa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Nigeria has competed in 11 Commonwealth Games since 1950, but did not attend the 1962, 1978, 1986 and 1998 Games.

Nigeria has won at least one medal at every Games attended including a high of 37 in 1994.

The first medal in 1950 was won by Joshua Majekodunmi in the High Jump.