Nigeria’s flag football team captain, Anuoluwapo Bello has revealed that she is very happy with her current status as an international player, because she always dreamt of representing her country on the big stage, Sports247 reports.
The highly impressive quarterback, who dumped basketball in order to take up active participation in flag football, added that she was filled with an extra dose of delight when she led Nigeria to continental glory on June 21 in Cairo, Egypt.
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While the Nigerian men’s team narrowly defeated hosts Egypt 13-12, Anu got four touchdown passes, as she led the women’s squad to defeat Morocco 26-12 in a one-sided final of the first ever African Flag Football Championship.
That feat qualified Nigeria as one of 16 teams that will compete at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championship – and potentially qualify for the sport’s maiden outing at the Olympic Games, as it has been listed to debut at Los Angeles 2028.
“I am so excited and happy,” Anu disclosed during ‘Athletes Corner’ segment of Inside Naija Sports, a live streaming programme on YouTube, which runs from 11:45am every Friday in the studio of Sports247 Naija TV.
She added, “For a young athlete that always dreamt about representing Nigeria on the big stage, it was amazing for me.
“Not just representing Nigeria but being the first person to captain the country in flag football made me feel proud of myself.
“I felt accomplished, and it was like I had already won everything. It was an amazing moment that I don’t think I will ever forget in my life.”
She then took a closer look at the immediate and future implications of the team’s victory in Egypt, especially in terms of uplifting flag football to higher levels in Nigeria and internationally.
“I will say thay we’ve been able to put flag football out there for Nigeria … with extra recognition for the sport. We can now tell people to go and check about us online.
“It makes me proud of myself and happy for all the female players in that team, because half of us played basketball before switching to flag football. Seeing them in the same team with me is amazing.
“We share the same dream and passion. Now, we are doing what we always wanted to do as sports stars, and God is backing us in it,” the amiable Anuoluwapo concluded gleefully.
