Joe
In light of Nigeria’s poor performance at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics, Uchenna Uba, a board member of the Nigeria Squash Federation, has called for adequate funding to help the federation qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Squash, which will make its debut in the Olympics come 2028 in Los Angeles, is among five new sports to be featured in Los Angeles. According to Uba, only a deliberate plan of action, supported by sufficient financing, will secure Nigeria’s place at the Games. He noted that the country already possesses talented players who are ready to give their best at all times.
“We will most definitely qualify from the African region, and with hard work and a bit of luck in the draw, we will perform well at the Olympics in 2028. I would be dishonest if I said we would win a medal at the LA Olympics; that would be wishful thinking. But as I mentioned, with hard work and a favorable draw, we will certainly do well.
“We need our young players to start competing in tournaments around the world now, to gain experience and develop their skills. If we can secure the right funding and training for these players to consistently participate in international tournaments, then I can confidently say that we can win a medal at the 2032 Olympics, though likely not in 2028.”
While acknowledging Egypt’s dominance in the sport, Uba believes Nigeria is not far behind and can compete effectively with the rest of the world.
“Egypt is not just an African powerhouse in squash, but a world powerhouse in the sport. That doesn’t mean Nigeria is incapable of competing. Nigeria’s international standing in squash was very low until Mr. Boye Oyerinde became the president of the Nigeria Squash Federation about seven years ago. He immediately introduced policies that changed the narrative.
“Today, we can proudly say that we are the second powerhouse in African squash. Not long ago, we were behind South Africa in Africa, but with our recent successes in African tournaments and the World Squash Team Championships, we’ve surpassed them. We have a lot of talented junior players who are incredibly skilled. With the right guidance and sponsorship, they could become the best players we’ve ever produced.”
Uba noted that Nigeria’s progress in squash could have been greater if not for poor funding. “We should have improved much more than we have, but funding issues have held us back. Unfortunately, this is a common problem across all sports in Nigeria,” he concluded.
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