BREAKING: Mariam Bolaji Secures Nigeria’s First Medal Paralympic Games
The Nigerian Team has secured its first medal in the ongoing 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France.
The medal was won by Mariam Eniola Bolaji on Monday morning in the Para Badminton women’s singles SL3 event.
Mariam is an athlete from Kwara State. She defeated Kozyna Oksana of Ukraine 21-9, 21-9 in a bronze medal match.
Her journey to this moment has been nothing short of historic. She made headlines earlier in the tournament by becoming the first African to reach the semifinals in Para Badminton at the Paralympics.
Although she fell short in the semifinals against China’s Xiao Zuxian, losing in two closely contested sets, her determination never wavered.
With her feat, Team Nigeria has now moved from no ranking to the 60th position on the medal’s table.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics had sparked widespread calls for the resignation of the Sports Minister, John Enoh.
Despite the government allocating a significant budget of N12 billion to support the country’s participation in the games, Nigeria failed to win a single medal, marking its worst Olympic performance since 2012.
The government of President Bola Tinubu also expressed disappointment and concern over Team Nigeria’s failure to secure a single medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, prompting calls for reforms to improve sports administration in the country.
In a statement released after the Paris Olympics, Sports Minister John Enoh described the team’s performance as disappointing and emphasised the need for reforms to enhance effective leadership in the sports sector.
The minister said, “Team Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics where the country did not secure any medals does not entail being addressed just by our participation at the Olympics, but it is a product of very many other things that need immediate attention.
“This call for reform aims to enhance the leadership and effectiveness of Nigeria’s sports federations, paving the way for improved performance on the global stage.
“As we go back home we must do everything to prevent future occurrence of the Paris disaster and if this will entail the review of how people are elected to lead our sporting Federations, it will be done. The elections for the federations are by the corner, and it will be the perfect platform to get only those who are most eligible to lead the various sports federations.”
