Olympics
Four things you should know about Nigeria’s first wrestling medallist, Blessing Oborududu
From practising wrestling against her parents wishes, to her viral celebration at 2018 Commonwealth Games, here’s everything you should know about the African wrestling star and Tokyo finallist.
Blessing Oborududu began practicing wrestling as a young girl and got immersed in the sport.
But no one around her thought she was a wrestler. She ‘did not look like a wrestler’.
On Monday (2nd August), she cemented her name in Nigeria and African wrestling, as her country’s first-ever medallist in the Olympics.
Oborududu sailed into the final of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling after a dominant win over Mongolia’s Battsetseg Soronzonbold to gain revenge after losing to the same opponent in Rio, and is now set to clinch either gold or silver.
It has been a long journey to glory for the Nigerian wrestler, who planned to retire after Tokyo 2020.
She lost to Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the USA in the final.
1 – Oborududu is a10-time African champion
Oborududu announced herself to the wrestling world in 2007 when she was invited to join Nigeria’s team for the African Games. She was unrivalled in secondary school, where she started wrestling, and quickly caught the attention of the Bayelsa government, a Southern state in Nigeria, that invited her for the prestigious National Sports Festival.
Two years later, she cemented her position in the National Wrestling team and has maintained the spot, being a regular in continental tournaments.
“My first medal was a bronze in 2009,” she told Olympic Channel while competing at the 2019 African Games in Rabat.
“And then 2010, I started winning, then every other African championship I win gold, gold, gold…All African Games gold, gold, gold…”
She dominated 59kg, was unrivalled in the 63kg, before stepping up to her current 68kg, winning a record 10 African titles across the weights.
Oborududu has won all African titles apart from 2012 when she skipped the continental event for London 2012, the first of her three Olympic appearances.
2 – Fighting against the odds
As Oborududu made great strides in her career she met some opposition at home, while some people around her doubted her potential.
Her parents were against their daughter practicing the combat sport, regardless of Nigeria’s rich tradition of wrestling.
“When I was growing, my parents used to tell me wrestling is for boys and not for girls,” she recalled in an interview with Olympic Channel.
“But when I saw female wrestlers shining in the sport and traveling outside the country, I said I want to be traveling like them, I want to do this thing [wrestling].”
Even as she became a household name in Nigerian wrestling, it took some convincing to show her potential.
“A lot of people would see me and tell [me], ‘you are not a wrestler; you don’t look like one.’”
But her coaches encouraged her, and she also believed in her ability.
“I kept doing it for me and my coaches. They believed. Whenever I went to the Worlds, Olympics they always encouraged me that, ‘Blessing the best is yet to come. You just need to focus, because you are strong, you are young, you can make it’. This is what has kept me going for the past 10-12 years.”
3 – Her gold medal celebration went viral
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 34-year-old finally won the gold that had eluded her in two previous attempts.
Oborududu held on for a slim 4-3 victory over her Canadian opponent Danielle Lappage.
She strode around the mat in a delirium of joy, rolling down, kissing the mat, and praying.
She then ran off to one of her coaches who carried her around the mat as they celebrated her biggest career win then.
That celebration went viral.
4 – Inspired by another Nigerian with an Olympic wrestling medal
Officially, Oborududu is the first Nigerian to win an Olympic medal in wrestling
But another Nigerian had in fact won gold at the Olympics, 21 years ago.
Daniel Igali, who also hails from Bayelsa state, won 69kg freestyle gold at Sydney 2000.
He won in it for Canada.
Igali switched nationality in 1998, and is the current president of Nigerian Wrestling Federation and is Oborududu’s idol.
In fact, Igali’s Olympic moment has been a huge source of inspiration for the former world number two.
“Nigerian wrestling is special because we always want to win, we want to be number one in the world, number two [at worst]. And our president Igali, is an Olympic champion. And when he told us about himself and how he won it, that is what every wrestler wishes for, be in the Olympics and to win,” she said.
“Sometimes when we watch the Olympic video of our president Daniel Igali, how he received his medal, how he was crying. You know everything that happened at the Olympics, that is our desire, we want to be like him. Everybody in the team wants to be Olympic champion.”
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will feature an increase in women’s soccer teams from 12 to 16, while the men’s competition will be downsized from 16 to a dozen teams, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The decision was part of several changes to the Olympic event programme, including more mixed events across various sports and all team sports featuring at least the same number of women’s and men’s teams.
The IOC said the reason for the sharp increase in women’s soccer teams was the rapidly growing popularity of women’s team sports, especially in the United States, and that change in the competition format reflected that rapid growth.
“We wanted to do something to reflect that growth and equally with the United States being the home of the highest level of popularity of women’s football,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell told a press conference.
He said the IOC had discussed the issue with both LA Games organisers and world soccer’s governing body FIFA before going through with the changes.
The total number of players — men’s and women’s — would not change.
The United States, who will also host the 2026 men’s and the 2031 women’s World Cup, have won five Olympic gold medals in the women’s competition.
The men’s teams use mostly under-23 players at Olympic Games.
The LA Games will have a total of 351 medal events in all sports, 22 more than at Paris 2024 Olympics.
Several sports, including archery, athletics, golf and gymnastics will be adding new mixed-team events, with the total number of athletes unchanged at 10,500.
The five sports proposed by the LA Games organising committee — baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash — will have an extra 698 quota places.
-Reuters
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BY JAVIER CARRO.
A young African woman. At the summit of modern Olympism, Kirsty Coventry takes on the challenge of occupying the most powerful position in the world of sport with plenty geopolitical roadblocks ahead for the newly-elected IOC president.
At 41 years old, Coventry was the winner by absolute majority after surpassing the other six candidates, which automatically makes her the tenth leader to take the reins of the International Olympic Committee in 130 years of history.
Now she has the challenge of leading the movement in an era of digital transformation, political responsibilities, and growing environmental concerns.
“A new era demands new leaders,” said the outgoing leader Thomas Bach at the beginning of the session, something that many saw as the German’s final push for his favourite candidate.
It was time for a woman, a woman who would occupy the chair once held by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games and a declared misogynist who believed that women’s only role in this arena was to crown the champions with laurel.
Coventry is congratulated by members of the IOC after being elected. GETTY IMAGES
After her victory, the Zimbabwean addressed the audience to express her gratitude: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to all the candidates; this has been an incredible race, making us better and strengthening our movement. I am confident that when we unite, we can develop the ideas we share. Thank you so much for this honour.”
The current Zimbabwean Minister of Sports, an Olympic swimming champion in 2004 and 2008, Coventry ascended to the highest chair in the IOC with a discreet presence but the unstoppable momentum of a history-maker.
Not only is she the first woman to hold this position, but she is also the first African and the youngest president since Pierre de Coubertin.
With Coventry, Africa reaches the Olympic summit for the first time. Until now, all IOC leaders had been European, except for American Avery Brundage.
Bach, the German who championed gender parity at the Paris Olympics, considers his mission of equality fulfilled with her succession.
Under his tenure, the IOC Assembly increased its female membership from less than 20% to 44%, with 48 women now part of the organization.
It is widely inferred that female votes played a crucial role in Coventry’s election. Additionally, 81 members—three-quarters of the Assembly—were elected under Bach’s leadership.
“Women are ready to lead,” the new president recently stated, anticipating the moment of glory she now embraces. She remains one of the most outstanding figures in African sports history and the most decorated African Olympian, with seven medals from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 (two gold, four silver, and one bronze). After retiring from competition, she served as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sports while also chairing the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission, one of the most influential bodies within the Committee.
She parlayed those credentials into a leadership position where she will need to be adept at integrating athletes’ perspectives and strengthening inclusion within the Olympic movement. Her leadership of the Commission and her role on the Executive Board have made her a prominent figure, especially in an era where diversity and gender equality are alleged priorities.
Although she will not officially assume the presidency until June 23, when Bach steps down, Coventry will soon have to tackle major issues. These include the reintegration of Russia into the Olympic Games, the economic challenges faced by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to US budget cuts, the participation of transgender athletes in elite competitions, the loss of several major Olympic sponsors, the negotiation of broadcasting contracts, and the selection of a host city for the 2036 Games.
The most pressing challenge she faces is the controversial issue of transgender athletes being allowed to compete in elite sports. The IOC currently permits their participation, but the lack of a universal standard has sparked polarising reactions worlwide. Coventry has taken a conservative stance on this matter, seeking not to rewrite existing rules but to encourage cooperation among federations to establish a common framework.
“I do not support transgender athletes competing in the Olympics against female athletes, as it is unfair to them. Ensuring fairness in women’s sports is essential,” she stated firmly, as she believes that “trans women have an inherent physical advantage in female categories, which potentially reduces equitable opportunities for biological women.”
Similarly, Coventry has promised a strong stance on addressing gender inequality in leadership roles, arguing that women should not be an exception in the sports world. While progress has been made toward gender equality, she acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. “At Paris 2024, we achieved gender parity in competition, but in federations and national committees, the gap remains significant,” she warned. “It is not just about increasing the number of women in sports but ensuring they have a voice and a vote in key positions. Female leadership should not be the exception but the norm within sports organisations,” Coventry added.
Another major issue Coventry will need to address is the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has left Russian and Belarusian athletes in a competitive limbo for several years.
She will have to navigate the delicate matter of Russia’s return to the Olympic stage. Since the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the IOC banned the Russian Olympic Committee, allowing only a select group of athletes to compete as neutrals in Paris 2024.
However, full reintegration remains a contentious issue, requiring a balance between diplomacy and sporting integrity.
Whether Russia can return in time for Milano Cortina 2026 is likely to be one of the defining topics of her presidency once she officially takes office in three months.
Coventry’s position on these matters remains somewhat ambiguous. In recent statements, she said, “Our duty as the IOC is to ensure that all athletes can participate in the Games. This is not just about the major wars and conflicts in Europe and the Middle East; there are also wars and conflicts in Africa.
“ If I am elected President of the IOC, I will establish a task force to develop guidelines to help us manage these periods of conflict, prioritising athletes’ interests.”
On the positive side, the new IOC boss will inherit an organisation in a robust financial position; therefore, billions seem secured in media rights and sponsorship deals.
Bach’s departure comes at a time when it guaranteed $7.3 billion (€6.7bn) in revenue from broadcasting, partnerships, and other sources for the 2025–28 cycle, along with $6.2 billion (€5.7bn) already locked in for 2029–32.
Last week, the IOC also announced a $3 billion (€2.7bn) extension of its Olympic media rights agreement with NBCUniversal in the United States until 2036.
However, the recent departure of several sponsors, such as Japanese giants Toyota and Panasonic, has fuelled calls for changes to its commercial structure.
Yet, financial stability does not guarantee smooth sailing in a landscape where sport is increasingly shaped by politics, technology, and shifting social expectations.
To balance financial growth with the fundamental values of the Olympic movement, Coventry believes that “it is about finding ways to ensure that, above all, we take care of our stakeholders to deliver incredible multi-sport events at the highest level.
“Yes, this requires more money, and we must find ways to make it sustainable. For example, when engaging with host cities, we are adapting the model to what they already have.
“We no longer demand the construction of new venues because that is no longer viable. This shift helps increase revenue while controlling.”
Coventry joined the Olympic assembly 12 years ago as an athletes’ representative and was later renewed as a permanent member.
Since then, Bach has kept her by his side, granting her positions of increasing responsibility.
She currently chairs the coordination commissions for the Dakar 2026 Youth Games and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, among other roles she will have to relinquish upon assuming the presidency.
Her ascent to the Olympic throne breaks the glass ceiling of the IOC and marks the beginning of a new era in the sporting world.
“I will make you feel proud and confident in the decision you have made today,” proclaimed Coventry after her landslide victory
-Inside The Games
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History has been made at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry becomes the president as the first woman and African to do so.
Two decades after winning her first Olympic gold in Greece, Kirsty Coventry was victorious again in the Mediterranean country as she was elected as the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) first female president on March 20.
The 41-year-old Zimbabwean, a former swimmer who won the women’s 200m backstroke at Athens 2004 before retaining it at Beijing 2008, also becomes the IOC’s first African president.
Coventry, who also has four Olympic silvers and a bronze, will serve an eight-year term, with the possibility of a four-year extension.
“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl I never thought that I would stand up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” Coventry said.
“This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride, with the values at the core and I will make all of you very, very proud and, I hope, extremely confident in the decision you’ve taken today.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Coventry succeeds 71-year-old German Thomas Bach, who steps down after a 12-year reign and has been named honorary president.
Strongly believed to be Bach’s favoured candidate, Coventry was thought to be in a tight-run race with IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr of Spain and World Athletics’ British chief Sebastian Coe.
However, to general surprise, the most powerful job in world sport reached its conclusion after just one round of voting at a luxury seaside resort in Greece’s south-western Peloponnese, with a majority of the IOC members placing their faith in Coventry to meet the serious challenges that lie ahead.
She secured 49 votes, the majority required from the 97 possible votes, with zero abstentions.
Samaranch Jr and Coe had 28 and eight votes respectively, while Frenchman David Lappartient (four), Japan’s Morinari Watanabe (four), Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al-Hussein (two) and Swedish-born Johan Eliasch (two) completed the field.
-Reuters/Xinhua
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