Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
| Nigeria at the 2008 Summer Paralympics | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| IPC code | NGR | ||||||||
| NPC | Nigeria Paralympic Committee | ||||||||
| in Beijing | |||||||||
| Competitors | 28 in 4 sports | ||||||||
| Medals Ranked 30th |
| ||||||||
| Officials | 14 | ||||||||
| Summer Paralympics appearances | |||||||||
Nigeria sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China.[1] The country was represented by 28 athletes competing in four sports: powerlifting, table tennis, wheelchair tennis and track and field.[2] The Nigerian team included eight powerlifters.[3]
Background
In many parts of Black Africa, people who have disabilities that include insanity, and physical disabilities such as impairments and deformities often face cultural barriers to participation because of attitudes related to their disabilities. These include beliefs that they acquired their disabilities because their parents were witches or they are wizards. Their disability is often seen as a result of a personal failing on their part. As such, there is often tremendous cultural pressure for people with physical disabilities to remain hidden and out of the public eye. In many places, they are perceived to be monsters in need of healing.[4] This is the context to which Nigerian Paralympians engage both society and sport internally, in their own country.[5]
Medalists
The Nigerian Paralympic delegation left the Games having won more medals than their Olympic counterparts.[6]
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Iyiazi, Eucharia NjidekaEucharia Njideka Iyiazi | Athletics | Women's discus throw F57/58 |
| Gold | Iyiazi, Eucharia NjidekaEucharia Njideka Iyiazi | Athletics | Women's shot put F57/58 |
| Gold | Ejike, Lucy OgechukwuLucy Ogechukwu Ejike | Powerlifting | Women's 48 kg |
| Gold | Ishaku, RuelRuel Ishaku | Powerlifting | Men's 48 kg |
 Silver | Adesoji, AdekunleAdekunle Adesoji | Athletics | Men's 100 m T12 |
| Silver | Aligekwe, Obioma DalethObioma Daleth Aligekwe | Powerlifting | Men's 100 kg |
| Silver | Anozie, Grace EbereGrace Ebere Anozie | Powerlifting | Women's +82.5 kg |
| Silver | Nneji, Amoge VictoriaAmoge Victoria Nneji | Powerlifting | Women's 67.5 kg |
 Bronze | Igbiti, Patience AghimilePatience Aghimile Igbiti | Powerlifting | Women's 60 kg |
Athletics
- 11 representatives
Powerlifting
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Attempt 3 | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruel Isiaku | −48 kg | ||||
| Solomon Amarakwu | −90 kg | ||||
| Obioma Alegakwue | −100 kg |
- Women
Lucy Ejike competed in the women's under 48 event, setting a pair of world records in the process of winning gold.[6] One of her world record lifts was 130 kg.[7]
| Athlete | Event | Attempt 1 | Attempt 2 | Attempt 3 | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy Ejike | −48 kg | ||||
| Patience Igbiti | −60 kg | ||||
| Victoria Nneji | −67.5 kg | ||||
| Kikelomo Ogunbamiwo | −82.5 kg | ||||
| Grace Alozie | +82.5 kg |
Table tennis
Nigeria was represented in table tennis by Segun Toriola. These were Toriola's fifth Paralympic Games.[8]
Wheelchair tennis
The Nigerian wheelchair tennis team consisted of a single competitor, 19-year-old Wasiu Yusuf.[9][10] Yusuf qualified for the Games through a wildcard awarded to him for winning the ITF Silver Fund Cup for Africa in October 2007.[11] He participated in the men's singles event in Beijing and was knocked out in the first round by a loss to Stefan Olsson of Sweden.[10]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Wasiu Yusuf | Men's singles |  Olsson (SWE)L 2–6, 1–6 |
Did not advance | |||||
See also
References
- ↑ "Paralympic Games team in Beijing", Chronicle, September 1, 2008
- ↑ "Nigeria's Paralympic athletes leave for training tour in South Korea", Xinhua, August 20, 2008
- ↑ "Nigerian power lifters aims to set world record at Beijing Paralympics". Xinhua News Agency. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ↑ Gilbert, Keith; Schantz, Otto J.; Schantz, Otto (2008-01-01). The Paralympic Games: Empowerment Or Side Show?. Meyer & Meyer Verlag. ISBN 9781841262659.
- ↑ Thomas, Gareth Martin and Banks, Tim (2013). ''We Aren't Racing a Fair Race': Rawls, Sen, and the Paralympic Games'. Sociological Research Online 18(3)14 <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/18/3/14.html
- 1 2 "Nigeria's Nollywood winner and other Paralympic surprises". BBC News. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ↑ "BBC SPORT | Other sport... | Paralympics | Paralympics day four photos". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ↑ Africa's record Olympian: How I made it to seven games, BBC, August 12, 2016, retrieved October 25, 2016
- ↑ Nigeria at the 2008 - Beijing Paralympics on paralympic.org
- 1 2 "To Africans, a wheelchair is the biggest hurdle". Reuters. 8 September 2008. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ↑ Konstantinova, Kameliya (5 November 2007). "Cruyff Foundation Silver Fund Cup for Africa". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 2009-01-08.