August 24, (THEWILL) – At about 1.05pm, Team Nigeria emerged to join the athletes’ parade of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2020 taking place in Tokyo, Japan. All of the athletes in the parade of the country’s contingent were beautifully attired in their glorious green and white outfits as the accompanying music played on in the background.
It was a parade that stayed faithful to the health and safety protocols that guided the hosting of the summer Games that preceded the Paralympics and so was devoid of spectators. Following the order of the Japanese alphabet, the Refugee Team were first, followed by athletes from Iceland.
Just before Team Nigeria were the 136 athletes representing Team Germany and the three from Togo. And while protesters demonstrated outside the national stadium venue of the ceremony as they did during the earlier Games, Nigeria’s hope for medals paraded the concourse waving the country’s flags.
Peter Nelson, Nigeria’s Chef De Mission and the Acting Director of Planning, Monitoring, and Information in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, spoke with the press at the opening ceremony.
He confirmed that the athletes were well aware of the high stakes involved and the aspirations of their sports-loving countrymen and women. Nelson said: “We are so glad that Team Nigeria to this Paralympics Games knows what is at stake. They understand the aspirations of all Nigerians here in Tokyo, Japan.
“We are looking forward to a memorable outing. The athletes are in very high spirits ahead of their respective events. The support and prayers of Nigerians is key and the element of luck cannot be ruled out at this level.
“By God’s grace medals will start to roll in for Team Nigeria as soon as the different events begin.”
As THEWILL reported, there are billed to be 539 events across 21 venues in 22 sports for the Paralympics and of these, the country’s 22 athletes will represent Team Nigeria in four events: Powerlifting, Athletics, Table Tennis and Rowing, with the desire to better the performance of their compatriots in the July 23 to August 8 Games.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
