It has been 365 days (from October 1, 2023, to October 1, 2024) filled with mixed feelings for Nigeria who have been participating in international sporting events long before the country’s first Independence Day in October 1960.

As Nigeria marks its 64th Independence Day today, Naija News takes a look at the highs and lows in the country’s sporting sector in the last one year.

Highs in Nigeria’s Sports in the last one year:

– The Under-19 Women’s Cricket team qualified for the World Cup, marking Nigeria’s second appearance in a cricket World Cup.

– Team Nigeria’s impressive performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, winning a total of seven medals.

– UK-based Nigerian boxer Elizabeth Oshoba became the first female Nigerian boxer to win a world title.

– Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman‘s outstanding performance at the 2023 AFCON and his historic hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final which won the title for his club. He was also the only African out-field player nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

– Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala were crowned as the men’s and women’s African Player of the Year award winners in December 2023.

– Nigeria’s second-place finish at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, with defender William Troost-Ekong named the Player of the Tournament.

Lows in Nigeria’s Sports in the last one year:

– Nigeria’s 88-man contingent to the Paris 2024 Olympics failed to win any medals, marking it as one of Nigeria’s worst runs at the tournament post-Independence.

– Sprinter Favour Ofili’s exclusion from the women’s 100m event at the 2024 Olympics despite qualifying, following her previous disqualification from the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

– Nigeria’s stadiums are underutilized, with only one approved for CAF matches. Despite having numerous large stadiums, only the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo meets CAF’s standards from 2023 to 2024.

– Nigeria, a powerhouse in Under-17 football, has struggled in recent years, failing to make an impact since 2017. The country’s Golden Eaglets, historically dominant, missed out on the 2023 and 2025 editions after a poor showing at the WAFU B tournament.

– Nigerian athletes have faced numerous doping bans, with sprinter Divine Oduduru and boxer Cynthia Ogunseilore being recent examples. Oduduru received a six-year ban for two anti-doping rule violations.