Abuja, Nigeria
CNN
—
Nigeria will compete every two years in the Paralympic Invictus Games style set up by Britain’s Prince Harry for servicemen injured in service, the organization said on Thursday.
Nigeria will become Africa’s first participant in games and will compete in a range of adaptive sports alongside 21 other nations in the German city of Düsseldorf, where more than 500 competitors are expected for the sixth edition of the sporting event. lasts a week.
The West African country has inducted into the Invictus Community of Nations last year, along with Colombia and Israel.
All three countries will debut in this year’s sports competition.
The captain of Team Nigeria, Corporal Effiom Antigha, told CNN he’s excited to take part in the September games.
“I feel very happy because I didn’t think I could participate in any sports like this before.”
“The Invictus Foundation has helped me grow physically and mentally,” said Antigha, 30, who initially suffered from depression after the injury.
“Before joining Invictus, I had never heard of sitting volleyball. When I see that I can participate in this sport without having to physically move, I feel great. Since then, my spirits have been high,” he said.
‘I can now go to the gym on my own to work out my upper body. It’s something I haven’t done since the injury.”
Antigha, who broke his kneecap during a novelty football match organized by an army unit in 2019, said he was looking forward to meeting other wounded servicemen from other countries.
“I want to hear their stories and also want to compete with them,” he told CNN.
Nigeria team manager Bobby Ojeh told CNN that the nation has been allocated 10 competitive slots and the selection of team members has begun.
“The 10 will participate in different sports,” said Ojeh, adding that the Nigerian team hopes to compete in categories such as wheelchair basketball, seated volleyball, weightlifting and rowing.
“We have professional coaches coaching our men in these sports,” he added, adding that participants will attend games with you. their friends and family.
Participants will be selected from a group of 35 wounded soldiers that have been supported by the charity.
Started in 2014, Invictus Games, supporting the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, has was previously archived of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands.
The winners and runners-up of the sports categories at the Invictus Games are awarded medals, but organizers say the event is not about winning medals but about helping veterans on their way to recovery. their.
The CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, Dominic Reid OBE, said in a press release that he was “delighted” that Nigeria was invited to participate in the games.
“It was the impact of the opportunities we provided, including in Nigeria, and the support of senior stakeholders in the military, that made us feel the team there was ready and well prepared. to join the Invictus Games,” he added.
The Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Defense Ministry, General Lucky Irabor, said that Invictus’ sports rehabilitation programs are having an impact on injured and sick service members in the country.
“Since joining the Invictus Community of Nations, we have seen the impact rehab sports have begun to have on those injured or sick in service and on those around them. Surname.”
