President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will officially send off Team Nigeria on Thursday ahead of the country’s participation in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
The send-off ceremony will take place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja before the Nigerian contingent departs for the United Kingdom to begin the final phase of preparations for the Games.
The development was announced in a statement signed by Kola Daniel, Special Assistant on Media in the Office of the Director General of the National Sports Commission.
Presidential support for Team Nigeria
According to the statement, President Tinubu will encourage the athletes and officials to represent Nigeria with honour and resilience as they compete against athletes from across the Commonwealth.
“The send-off event, which will take place at the Presidential Villa, is part of the President’s show of support for the Nigerian contingent before they depart the shores of the nation to begin the final phase of preparations before the Games.
“President Tinubu is expected to charge the athletes and officials to compete with honour and resilience for which Nigerians are renowned.”
Final preparations underway
Team Nigeria has been training in Abuja ahead of the Games and is scheduled to leave Nigeria on Friday for Aberdeen, Scotland, where the athletes will hold a three-week training camp before moving to Glasgow.
Nigeria is expected to compete in 10 sports, with a delegation of 74 athletes representing the country at the Games.
Building on Birmingham success
Nigeria heads into the competition hoping to improve on its performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where the country finished as Africa’s highest-ranked nation on the medals table.
Team Nigeria won 35 medals in Birmingham, comprising 12 gold, nine silver and 14 bronze.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, bringing together athletes from across the Commonwealth in a range of sporting events.
The statement added that President Tinubu has consistently expressed confidence in Nigeria’s athletes and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting them on the international stage.
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