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PARALYMPICS

How Mikano powered Eniola to Nigeria’s first medal at Paris 2024

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Gold medallist, XIAO Zuxian of China is flanked by Nigeria’s Eniola Mariam Bolaji (right) and Indonesia’s Syakuroh Qonitah Ikhtiar who won the silver medal.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

An elated Francis Orbih, President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, has expressed deep gratitude to power generating company, Mikano International Limited for the unquantifiable assistance offered to the Nigerian  sports person of the moment, Eniola Mariam Bolaji who has won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

 She has been the only Nigerian on the podium at the two global events in Paris.

  Bolaji this Monday morning gave the Nigerian sports community something to cheer after a prolong spate of agonising results in continental and global events.

On Court 3 of La Chapelle Arena in Paris, Mariam Eniola Bolaji beat Ukraine’s Kozyna Oksana in the contest for the bronze medal.

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  The BFN promptly expressed appreciation to Mikano International Limited which offered the Parabadminton player financial and logistics assistance towards preparation for Paris 2024.

Apart from financial assistance, Mikano also gave the medallist a return ticket to Spain for her training camp and also for her  racquets, canvass, wears.

Dateline: July 8 2024, Lagos- Planting the seed that has now germinated. Mikano International Limited hosted  Mariam Eniola Bolaji to a farewell reception preparatory to the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Left to right : Kelechi Chiboka, Head of Marketing for Mikano Power; Farah Hilal, Communication Manager, Mikano International; Miriam Eniola Bolaji; Mrs. Oby Solaja,  Former African Champion and first Nigerian Badminton Olympian; Karima Okunola, Head of Marketing for Mikano Motors

Included was training allowance and provided a vehicle that took her in style to the airport when she travelled for the training and the Paralympics.

While thanking Mikano International Ltd, Orbih, the BFN also expressed thanks to federation’s other sponsors. “Certainly, without their support, we would have achieved less.”

The bronze  won by Bolaji on Monday is the first medal that Nigeria ever get since Badminton was first introduced to the Olympic Games at Barcelona ‘92 as demostration sport and becoming a scoring discipline at Atlanta ‘96.

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“The path to reaching this remarkable milestone was made possible by a collective of public, private and individual efforts, in which the Badminton Confederation Africa (BCA), Federal Ministry of Sports Development, late Coach Bello Oyebanji, Dina Sarinena, States like Abia and Kaduna states, Corporate organizations like Mikano International, GIG Group and Owu Sportswear all played crucial roles and were very supportive throughout the journey”, Orbih remarked. 

Continuing, he said: “Eniola’s remarkable victory is a testament to her unwavering dedication, exceptional talent, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Her hard work and perseverance has paid off, not only for herself but for the entire Nigerian sporting community.

“The BFN extends its heartfelt congratulations to Eniola Mariam Bolaji for her outstanding performance. Her achievement is a source of inspiration for aspiring athletes across Africa and Nigeria making it a proud moment for us all.@

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

PARALYMPICS

Paris gives Paralympic Games a send-off for the ages

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The Paris Games organisers said they wanted the closing ceremony to ‘show we know how to party’. Photograph: Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images

Stade de France transformed into huge electronica dance party with world’s elite para athletes doing farewell conga

With an explosion of fireworks, laser beams, breakdance and a thumping set by the giants of French electronica, France bid goodbye to the Paralympic Games on Sunday night with the biggest party it had ever thrown.

The feelgood summer of athletic achievement in Paris had turned crowds hoarse from so much cheering and for ever changed the nation’s attitude to sport and disability, and now Parisians were desperately sad to say goodbye to it all.

But France wanted one last frenzied night of celebration and the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis was transformed into a massive electronica dance party with some of the world’s top elite para athletes doing the conga around the stadium on an athletics track where days before records were being broken.

The Paris Games organisers said they wanted the Paralympics closing ceremony to “show we know how to party” – as if anyone still had any doubt that the French capital liked letting its hair down.

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Jean-Michel Jarre, France’s godfather of synthesisers and stadium laser shows, headed a riotous showcase of France electro dance amid flashing light-shows, hundreds of crisscrossing laser beams and walls of flames on stage. 

The “French Touch” extravaganza culminated in the star DJ Martin Solveig playing Daft Punk’s One More Time amid a stage full of dancing para athletes, giant mascots bobbing in sequin skirts and a volley of hundreds of fireworks.

Earlier, the French Republican Guard military band had blasted out Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive as para athletes paraded with their countries’ flags.

In a nod to its controversial decision to introduce breakdance to the Olympics, Paris also signed off with a staggering breakdance performance by many disabled dancers that drew gasps from the para athletes watching.

The big surprise of the night – and one of the best musical performances – was the blind Malian singers Amadou and Mariam performing a stunning rendition of Serge Gainsbourg’s anthem about goodbyes, Je Suis Venu te Dire que Je M’en Vais, at the base of the ballon-borne Paralympic flame, just as it was extinguished.

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Another spine-tingling moment was a new take on the French national anthem. Of all the many versions of La Marseillaise played since the Olympic Games began in July, Sunday night’s was for sure the most moving: a solo, musical rendition by the acclaimed disabled French trumpeter André Feydy.

“The most spectacular Paralympic Games ever,” said Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, in conclusion to 12 heady days in Paris which saw China top the medals table, with Great Britain second and the US in third place, just as Los Angeles takes over the Olympic and Paralympic Games for 2028.

With more competing countries than ever before, a record 169 delegations, more women and more global coverage, Paris 2024 had set a new benchmark for the Paralympic Games, said Parsons. He thanked French crowds for their huge turnout and roof-raising support. “For a country famous for its fashion and food, France is now famous for its fans,” he said, to raucous screams from more than 60,000 spectators at the Stade de France.

Now it was time that “appreciation and applause must be followed by acceptance and action”, he said. It was time to break down barriers in society outside the playing field – from education to employment, government and entertainment.

For French organisers, the celebration was all the merrier given the final figures on tickets. Paris 2024 sold a record 12m tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics combined, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012.

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This included 9.5m tickets sold for the Paris Olympics and 2.5m for the Paris Paralympics. In 2012, London organisers had set the record for the Paralympics, with 2.7m tickets sold, but only 8.2m were sold for the Olympics.

In keeping with the torrential downpour of rain that soaked the Olympics opening ceremony along the River Seine back in July, the skies opened for the end of the Paralympics, utterly drenching the athletes who valiantly danced to the music as flames warmed the occasion by constantly bursting into the sky from the stage.

The Guardian, UK

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PARALYMPICS

‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ rendered for the first time on the podium at global sports fiesta

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Nigeria we hail thee’, the new old anthem is rendered for the first time on the podium of a global sports fiesta – Paris 2024 Paralympics.

Great thanks to Onyinyechi Mark who apart from leading a pack of women iin the 61kg power-lifting, she set a new record in her gold medal lift.

It means that ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ will be rendered on the podium. This is the first time this will happen in the frame work of a global event apart from the sectional Commonwealth Games.

 ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ was initially the Nigeria national anthem from October 1, 1960 to the same date in 1978.  It was readopted later this year.

 In the first period it was used, Nigeria featured at the Olympic Games at Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1960 and Munich 1972 as Montreal 1976 was boycotted.

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 At the period, Nigeria did not win any gold medal that would have necessitated the rendering of ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ on the podium.

 When Nigeria first won gold medals at the Barcelona ‘92 Paralympics and then at the Atlanta ‘96 Olympics. At the time, the Nigerian National anthem was ‘Arise O Compatriot’ which was dropped earlier this year.

 

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PARALYMPICS

At last, gold for Nigeria at Paris 2024!

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Onyinyechi Mark has made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by setting a new world record in the Women’s 61kg powerlifting event.

She lifted an impressive 150kg, securing Nigeria’s first gold medal at the Games. It is Nigeria’s first gold medal since the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralymoics.

Already the world record holder, Mark broke her record twice during the competition.

She surpassed her previous Paralympic Games and World records of 145kg and 146kg with lifts of 147kg and 150kg, respectively.

Her final lift of 150kg, achieved amidst applause from the spectators, set both a new world and a Paralympics record.

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China’s Jianjin Ciu took the silver medal with a 140kg lift, while Mexico’s Amalia Vazquez Perez claimed the bronze with a 130kg lift

 

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