Sport in Nigeria

Football is largely considered Nigeria's national sport, and the country has its own professional football league.

History

Colonial era

Physical education was made part of colonial Nigeria's educational curriculum in the 19th century. During this time, indigenous sports faded away while structured European activities such as football, which helped to bridge the gap between the British rulers and the local population,^[1] grew.^[2]

Contemporary era

Other than football, basketball, handball and volleyball are also prominent in the Nigerian sports sector.^[3] Indigenous games such as loofball, dambe and ayo also have significant popularity among youths in Nigeria. Loofball involves two teams of five, a ball, and a net. It is played by tossing the ball over the net to the opposing team's side of the court.^[4] After July 2021, the sport has been administered by the LSDI (Loofball Sports Development Initiative).^[5]

Team sports

Association football

The Nigerian national football team,^[6] nicknamed the "Super Eagles", is the national team of Nigeria, run by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). According to the FIFA World Rankings, Nigeria ranks 42nd and holds the sixth-highest place among the African nations. The highest position Nigeria ever reached on the ranking was 5th, in April 1994. Supporters of English football clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea often segregate beyond the traditional tribal and even religious divide to share their common cause in Premier League teams.

Basketball

Nigeria's national basketball team made the headlines internationally when it became the first African team to beat the United States men's national team.^[7] In earlier years, Nigeria qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics as it beat heavily favoured world elite teams such as Greece and Lithuania.^[8] Nigeria has been home to numerous internationally recognised basketball players in the world's top leagues in America, Europe and Asia. These players include Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, and later players in the NBA. The Nigerian Premier League has become one of the biggest and most-watched basketball competitions in Africa. The games have aired on Kwese TV and have averaged a viewership of over a million people.^[9]

Bobsled

Nigeria made history by qualifying the first bobsled team for the Winter Olympics from Africa when their women's two-person team qualified for the bobsled competition at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.^[10]

Curling

In 2018, the Nigerian Curling Federation was established to introduce a new sport to the country in order to make the game part of the curriculum at the elementary, high school, and university levels. At the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Norway, Nigeria won their first international match beating France 8–5.^[11]

Volleyball

Nigeria's women's and men's national teams in beach volleyball competed at the 2018–2020 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.^[12] The country's U21 national teams qualified for the 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships.^[13]