Victor Okorie Urges Greater Investment After Team Nigeria's Glasgow 2026 Success

Posted : 03 August 2026

Performance Director and Athletes' Liaison Victor Okorie has described Team Nigeria's campaign at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games as the foundation for a new era in Nigerian sports, urging stakeholders to sustain the momentum ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Team Nigeria concluded the Games sixth on the medals table with 24 medals—10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze. Okorie said the performances reflected the impact of deliberate planning, improved athlete welfare and focused leadership by the National Sports Commission (NSC).

He praised the leadership of NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko and Director-General Bukola Olopade for creating an enabling environment that allowed Nigerian athletes to compete with confidence and achieve remarkable results.

According to Okorie, the success recorded in Glasgow was not accidental but the result of strategic investment, sound preparation and an unwavering commitment to high-performance sports.

"This historic accomplishment did not happen by chance. It is the product of visionary leadership, strategic planning and an unwavering commitment to the success of Nigerian athletes," Okorie said.

He added that the Commission's emphasis on athlete welfare and performance development gave competitors renewed confidence throughout the Games.

Okorie also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Federal Government's continued support for sports development, noting that Nigeria's performance demonstrated the rewards of sustained investment in athletes.

He described Glasgow 2026 as a remarkable achievement, pointing out that athletes competed in only 10 sports—almost half the number featured at previous Commonwealth Games editions—yet still returned with 10 gold medals.

Okorie noted that earlier editions offered medal opportunities across about 19 or 20 sports, making Nigeria's latest achievement even more significant.

"What makes this achievement truly exceptional is not just the number of medals won, but the circumstances under which they were won," he said.

He maintained that the Glasgow Games should be remembered as a triumph of quality, resilience and efficient preparation rather than simply for the number of medals won.

While celebrating the athletes' accomplishments, Okorie cautioned against complacency, insisting that the Glasgow campaign should serve as a springboard for even greater success on the global stage.

He called for continued investment in athlete development, elite preparation and high-performance programmes as Nigeria begins preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

"Glasgow 2026 is not the finish line; it is the beginning of a new era for Nigerian sports," he said.

Team Nigeria's campaign featured Commonwealth champions, world records, Games records, personal bests and breakthrough performances across athletics, para athletics, para powerlifting, weightlifting and judo.

With the Glasgow Games concluded, attention will now shift to building on those achievements as the National Sports Commission intensifies preparations to position Nigerian athletes for even greater success at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Victor Okorie Urges Greater Investment After Team Nigeria's Glasgow 2026 Success

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