Team Nigeria Dominates Medal Table at First-Ever West Africa Para Games

Team Nigeria Dominates Medal Table at First-Ever West Africa Para Games

By Admin 

The inaugural West Africa Para Games concluded in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with Team Nigeria emerging as the overall champions after a dominant display across six days of competition, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The event, which brought together more than 400 para-athletes from across the subregion, has been hailed as a landmark achievement for para sports in West Africa.

Nigeria topped the medals table with an impressive haul of 59 gold, 39 silver and 31 bronze medals. Benin Republic finished a distant second with 4 gold, 4 silver and 14 bronze medals, while Ghana placed third with 3 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze medals. Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire completed the top five, securing fourth and fifth positions respectively. Cameroon earned 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, while Côte d’Ivoire claimed a single gold.

The final gold medal of the Games came from Nigeria’s amputee football team, who defeated Liberia 1–0 in Wednesday’s closing ceremony match.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, praised the athletes for what he described as a historic moment for para sports in the subregion.

“This is history in the making, and the over 400 para-athletes who participated are the true heroes of African sports,” Dikko said. He also commended the Ogun State Government for its consistent support of sports development, noting its alignment with the National Sports Commission’s Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria Sports Economy (RHINSE).

NSC Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, lauded the athletes’ exceptional performances, particularly Team Nigeria, and emphasized the visibility the Games have brought to para sports.

“We are proud to be part of these Games, which have expanded awareness for para sports and renewed hope for people living with disabilities,” Olopade said. “The Commission remains fully committed to hosting more international para competitions to advance the growth of the sector.”

President of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the administration’s support for persons living with disabilities through the NSC. He commended both Dikko and Olopade for their leadership, describing them as “the best thing that has happened to para sports in Nigeria.”

Odebode also thanked the Local Organising Committee, led by Victor Achakpo, for their dedication to the successful hosting of the maiden Games.